Accounts Added On to Social Security May Not Be Viable Sum

Ironically, most conservatives see add-on accounts as a slippery slope down the other side of the hill. Almost all congressional conservatives view such accounts as a new entitlement that would expand the welfare state; that's the view among Bush's top economic advisors as well. And that conflicts with a key, if rarely articulated, conservative goal in this debate: shrinking the size of government and encouraging Americans to rely more on the market, and less on public programs, for economic security.

"I don't think you solve a problem with an old entitlement by creating a new entitlement," says one senior administration official.

Add-on accounts may look like a reasonable midpoint between the two sides in this struggle. But in a polarized capital where the only constant is conflict, it increasingly appears that add-ons don't add up for either party.

Ronald Brownstein's column appears every Monday. See current and past columns on The Times' website at www.latimes.com/brownstein.