Rick Perry softens Social Security rhetoric in USA Today op-ed

Is Rick Perry dialing back on some of his anti-Social Security rhetoric?

Ahead of tonight's CNN/Tea Party Express Republican primary debate in Florida, the Texas governor has an op-ed in Monday's USA Today defending his criticism of the program.

Perry repeats his call for reform--insisting that the American people deserve someone who will "speak honestly" about Social Security's dismal financial state. But what's notable about the piece is that Perry doesn't repeat some of the more provocative language he's used in calling for an overhaul of the system, including his description of Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme" and a "monstrous lie."

"For too long, politicians have been afraid to speak honestly about Social Security. We must have the guts to talk about its financial condition if we are to fix Social Security and make it financially viable for generations to come," Perry writes in USA Today. "Americans must come together and agree to address the problems so today's beneficiaries and tomorrow's retirees really can count on Social Security for the long haul. We must have a frank, honest national conversation about fixing Social Security to protect benefits for those at or near retirement while keeping faith with younger generations, who are being asked to pay."

Perry's op-ed comes as several of his GOP rivals, including Michele Bachmann and Jon Huntsman, have signaled they'll renew their criticism of Perry's Social Security position at tonight's debate, which takes place in a state where Social Security reform could be a pivotal issue in 2012.

But not every potential 2012 rival is piling on. On Friday, Sarah Palin told Fox News the country shouldn't get rid of Social Security but that Perry was right to question the "status quo."

"There's no need to frighten or throw under the bus our esteemed elders who have paid all of their working lives into the Social Security system," Palin said. "What Rick Perry was trying to say I believe is that there needs to be reform. Status quo is not acceptable because these programs are insolvent ... So he's saying reform is necessary, and we either reform these entitlement programs ourselves or the world capital markets will reform them for us."