"I did not support it, but there was a time when I said let's explore this."
-- Al Gore, Associated Press, May 16, 2000

"We didn’t really propose it. We talked about the idea."
-- Al Gore, The Washington Post, May, 2, 2000

Today's White House web page, however, contradicts Al Gore:

"President Clinton and Vice President Gore believe we must act now to tackle this tough, long-term challenge. That is why they are proposing to:

‘…to craft a bipartisan Social Security plan which invests a portion of the surplus transferred to Social Security to achieve higher returns, and includes a mechanism to ensure that investments are made independently and without political interference. We will support using a broad-based neutral approach managed by the private sector with minimum administrative costs.’" [White House Web Page, 5-17-00]

"Al Gore proposed allowing the federal government to invest in the stock market to save Social Security and now he's denying it," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer. "Whether the issue is abortion, gun control, medical marijuana and now Social Security, Al Gore has a history of changing his position for political gain. That's why he has a problem with credibility. The American people want leadership and results on Social Security reform, not four more years of Al Gore's flip-flops, denials and attacks," added Fleischer.

Clinton-Gore Economic Advisor Exposes Al Gore's motives on Social Security Reform: