COLUMBIA, S.C. - President Bush knew he could count on a friendly audience at the Statehouse when he stepped into Republican-rich South Carolina on Monday to rally support for his plan for Social Security.

It was an unusual stop on his 60-city, cross-country tour to talk about the future of the federal retirement system.

Bush, who has watched his approval ratings drop during the blitz, has been the center of huge crowds in campaign-style surroundings along his tour. But in Columbia, he chose to speak about 30 minutes to legislators, Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, who for years have pushed the private Social Security accounts Bush wants.

Bush said it was the first time he had addressed a state legislature since he was governor of Texas.

The government is making promises it can't keep to future generations, he said.

"There is a hole in the safety net for younger Americans," Bush said. "There is no vault holding your cash waiting for you to retire."

Why Bush chose the Statehouse "would rank as somewhat of a mystery," said Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen. On the Social Security stump, Bush's pattern has been to campaign in swing states where Republicans need to be brought on board or Democrats need to feel heat on the issue, Thigpen said.

Bush had been expected to make an announcement about a possible appointment for House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville. But no mention was made during his speech.

Bush is facing an uphill battle in his effort to persuade the public that Social Security change is needed and that private retirement accounts should be part of the solution.

Democrats argue that the administration is proposing to drastically alter the system when more modest changes would ensure the system's future solvency.

"If we don't do something to fix this system now, the students graduating this spring from the University of South Carolina or, in deference to the Speaker, Clemson (University) will spend their entire careers paying Social Security taxes only to see the system go bankrupt a few years before they retire," Bush said.

The state's majority Republican congressional delegation is split over the issue. Graham, the state's senior senator, has urged the president to switch his focus to the retirement program's looming insolvency and how to fix it. He also has broken with Republican orthodoxy to suggest that part of the solution will involve raising taxes.

"The President has done an excellent job of defining the demographic problems facing Social Security," Graham said in a statement. "I anticipate and hope that after his 60-day tour of the nation the President will present more specific ideas to the nation."

Bush mingled with legislators, who clamored to get autographs on their House calendars, and spent time shaking hands with House Democrats.

As he passed, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said she told Bush she didn't agree with his approach to fixing Social Security.

Cobb-Hunter said Bush talks about fiscal discipline, but that doesn't mesh with what he's done in Washington, "not when he's run up the kind of deficit he has."

Bush later came back and kissed her on the cheek, bringing a load of ribbing from her Legislative Black Caucus colleagues.

Republicans hailed Bush's remarks. "I think he showed great leadership," Wilkins said. "The president is a great leader, I think he exhibited it today."

Blake Sanford, the governor's six-year-old son, got the ride of his young life as he accompanied his dad and mom in Bush's limousine from Columbia Metropolitan Airport to the Statehouse. The governor said he and the president spent time talking about Social Security, fitness and farms.

About 60 people marched through downtown to the Statehouse to protest the president.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told the protesters he's concerned Bush's plan would hurt those with low incomes or on disability pay.

"The president needs to tell us, 'What are you going to do for the people who are disabled and currently getting Social Security?' " Clyburn said.

The Bush administration argues private accounts have the potential to offer greater payments to retirees, plus offer an inheritable asset should a worker or retiree die.

Michael Berg, director of the Carolina Peace Resource Center, said Bush's proposal was a scam.

"It's a crapshoot. It's rolling the dice. There is a lot of evidence that it's unstable," he said.

Some in Berg's group dressed as a Wall Street tycoon, a black-and-white-stripped prison inmate and cheerleaders, shouting, "B-U.S.-H, We don't want you in our state. Go home."

Across the street about 30 Bush supporters, mostly college Republicans, were less animated.

"Doing nothing will just make a problem for us later on," said including Franklin Buchanan, state chairman of College Republicans and a senior at the University of South Carolina. "It's a very important issue, especially for younger people."

Valerie Dowling, 19, of Converse College in Spartanburg, agreed.

"I see it as an investment in my future," she said. "I think it's better to do something about it now."

After his speech, Bush made a 25-minute stop at Rockaway Athletic Club, a neighborhood pub famous for its burgers and cheese fries.

"He sat down and spoke to some of the customers," said Paul Whitlark, one of the restaurant's co-owners. "He just made the rounds and they got everything to go."

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Associated Press Writer Jacob Jordan contributed to this story.