McCain’s Flip-flop on Social Security: Ramesh Ponnuru May Be Dumber Than Tim Russert

Bob Davis documents that McCain has not only flip-flopped on making the Bush tax cuts permanent, he has flip-flopped on Social Security:

On Social Security, the Arizona senator says he still backs a system of private retirement accounts that President Bush pushed unsuccessfully, and disowned details of a Social Security proposal on his campaign Web site.

Ramesh Ponnuru notes the change in McCain’s position:

He was for the personal savings accounts Bush wanted; his campaign website says that he wants accounts that “supplement” Social Security rather than being carved out from it; and he says he still wants personal savings accounts.

This is true but then Ponnuru makes one of the most uninformed comments on this issue that I have ever read:

But the distinction between accounts that are “add-ons” versus “carve-outs” is pretty meaningless, and I don’t think it is wrong of the candidate to ignore it.

At least Andrew Samwick understands the difference between the carve-out proposal and the add-on proposal. No one who remotely understands the Social Security debate would claim that the distinction between add-ons and carve-outs is meaningless. Then again – Ponnuru was writing over at the National Review’s The Corner where completely uninformed commentary appears to be the rule.