Key House Republican renews Social Security privatization talk
Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), who hopes to become Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee if Republicans retain control of the Congress after the next election, told reporters at the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that Congress should make privatizing Social Security its top priority in 2007. 

The statement led to a flurry of comments from key leaders who oppose privatization. 

"McCrery spilled the beans about a topic Republicans have avoided discussing in the 2006 elections," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. 

He continued, "The American people made clear they don't want to replace Social Security's guaranteed benefits with risky private accounts that would force drastic cuts in middle class benefits and saddle future generations with trillions in federal debt." 

Alliance for  Retired Americans President George J. Kourpias echoed, "When the House Republican in charge of Social Security says that privatization will be a top priority next year, we are reminded that this is a bad idea whose time has come but has unfortunately not gone away." 

 Now head of the House Ways and Means Committee's Social Security panel, Rep. McCrery is considered the front-runner to preside over the full committee next year, following the retirement of current Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA).