Was anyone else puzzled by President Clinton’s claim last night that one of his biggest disappointments was not reforming Social Security? I covered the Clinton years fairly closely and I couldn’t recall a single Clinton statement on the subject. So I Googled some of the media coverage from Clinton’s second term and figured out why.

For Clinton “Social Security Reform” was code for “Don’t let the GOP cut your taxes.” The President, losing ground fast to the newly-elected GOP Congress, used Social Security as a tool to beat back tax cuts, urging that any future budget surpluses should be poured into what would eventually be called a “lock box.” He also used the subject as a centerpiece in his post-impeachment State of the Union, hoping a bold initiative would push his impeachment trial out of the news lead.

It didn’t work.