With the White House increasingly concerned with the Federal budget deficit, it seems as though Personal Retirement Accounts will take a backseat for yet another year. In the AP article, White House Budget Director Rob Portman said, "it gets easier," to erase the deficit by putting off Bush's dormant Social Security plan. "The question is whether to delay it for one or two years."

The article continues:

Direct comparisons aren't available, but a two-year delay would wipe more than $30 billion from the 2012 deficit based on earlier White House estimates of the costs of the private accounts. A one-year delay would save far less but would demonstrate a continuing commitment to the idea despite the political obstacles.

I am all for slashing the deficit and cutting spending, but will the political obstacles for Personal Retirement Accounts disappear after delaying the project in the budget for another year? Doubtful. Can Congress restrain spending and end the pay-as-you-go system of spending needed to fix the Social Security System? According to former Majority Leader Dick Armey's editorial in the Wall Street Journal today, ending paygo may have ever higher political obstacles than the proposed Personal Retirement Accounts. With neither side ready to lay their cards down on the table, we could be in for the longest game of Celebrity Poker. Ever.