Of great concern

President Obama’s newly-formed National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform does not give me a "warm fuzzy," in fact, it gives me a distinct chill. The evidence is that its members are determined to do what both Bill Clinton and G.W. Bush failed to do, and that's to put Social Security on the chopping block.

The 18 individuals are meeting regularly, in secret, behind closed doors, until safely beyond this year’s mid-term election. If they reach agreement, their proposal will be voted on in December by a lame duck Congress, without the benefit of open hearings and deliberations in the pertinent committees and without the opportunity for open debate and amendment on the floors of the House and Senate.

And here's some background for a some questions that our press corps might consider asking:

Q. Mr. Peterson has been on a decades-long crusade against Social Security. The day after the first meeting of the commission, which focused heavily on the need to cut Social Security, the co-chairs and two other members of the commission participated in a Peterson event that reinforced the same message. A Peterson-funded foundation is supplying commission staff. And Peterson’s foundation is funding America Speaks to develop a series of high-profile town halls across the country to host “a national discussion to find common ground on tough choices about our federal budget.”

My question would be: "Seeing as cutting Social Security has already been mentioned by some members as a potential solution to America's financial problems, doesn't it seem like Mr. Peterson, and indeed the 18 members of the commission, have already made up their minds on the issue?"

Our reporters need to be asking questions NOW, not just at some vague time somewhere in the future.