Oregon's two Senators, Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Gordon Smith, began a tour of the state together on Sunday night with a townhall meeting in Portland. As The Oregonian's Edward Walsh notes, the main topic was Social Security:

Appearing at the first in a series of town meetings they will hold around the state, Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Gordon Smith agreed the Social Security system faces growing financial problems as the huge baby boom generation nears retirement.

But Wyden flatly rejected Bush's call to allow younger workers to use a portion of the Social Security payroll tax to establish private accounts that could be invested in the stock market.

Administration officials contend that the private accounts would generate enough income to make up for a reduction in Social Security benefits that are necessary to keep the system solvent.

"For the life of me, I cannot see how we are going to solve the concerns of Social Security with privatization," Wyden said.

While the somewhat centrist Smith has yet to stake out a position on the President's Social Security reform, it's great to see Wyden -- a consummate moderate -- come out strongly against the bill. If Senators like Wyden, Max Baucus (D-MT) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) -- moderate Dems who have in the past given much-needed support to the President's agenda -- maintain their opposition to this bill, the Democrats just might be able to save the program.