To the Point

President Bush Stumps for His Social Security Plan

President Bush is back on the campaign trail, shifting the argument from private Social Security accounts to cuts in benefits without raising taxes. Democrats call it the biggest middle class benefit cut in history. Republicans say if Bill Clinton had proposed the same thing, Democrats would have applauded. The Bush plan would cut benefits for 70% of future retirees while leaving lower income workers alone. Would the President's proposal transform a program conceived as social insurance for all Americans into another welfare plan for the poor? We hear from journalists and Social Security advisors to Presidents Bush and Clinton. Making News: Difficulties Forming New Iraqi Cabinet Three months after the Iraqi elections, a new government finally has been sworn in, minus several important ministries designed for the Sunni minority. Neil MacDonald, who reports from Baghdad for the Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times and the Economist, reports on the difficulties in filling certain posts and the violence that has accompanied efforts to form the new government. Reporter-s Notebook: New Regulations for Drivers' Licenses Some of the September 11 hijackers used drivers' licenses as identification when they checked in at the airports in Newark and Boston. As recommended by the 911 Commission, Congress is about to establish nationwide rules for licenses to discourage that from happening again. To keep track of what this could mean for the 50 states, the National Council of State Legislatures has appointed New York Republican State Senate Senator Michael Balboni to represent their interests.