To the Point

President Bush-s Social Security Plan in Crisis

Since President Bush first proposed it, public approval for privatizing part of Social Security, hasn-t gone up. It-s gone down. Just six weeks after his second inauguration, even the Wall Street Journal says Bush -seems to be losing- the debate about Social Security, the -keystone- of his second term. Yet, despite Republicans in Congress being divided, with some openly talking about alternatives, the President is not backing down. He-s embarked on a 60-day selling campaign in 60 cities, a major investment of political capital. Why is the President so committed, especially when he concedes that private accounts won-t solve long-term financial problems? We hear more about privatizing this public program from pollsters, journalists, financial analysts, economists and policy watchdogs. Making News: Syrian President to Announce Redeployment of Troops Syria-s President Bashar al-Assad reportedly plans to announce a partial pull-back of troops to the Bekaa Valley in Eastern Lebanon, but today, President Bush said that-s not enough. Hassan Fattah, Middle East correspondent for the New York Times, reports on growing opposition to Syrian presence in Lebanon and the implications of total withdrawal for the Lebanese government, opposition groups, and the region as a whole. Reporter's Notebook: Celebrity Justice and the Martha Stewart Media Circus After five months at Alderson Prison for Women, Martha Stewart is looking fit, happy and ready for tonight-s appearance on CNN-s Larry King Live. It-s hard to remember that she was convicted of lying to government agents investigating insider trading. Former Wall Street Journal columnist Foster Winans, who also did time for insider trading, says turning a -shameful moment- into a -triumph of marketing- undermines the judicial system.