GOP senator voices doubts on Bush plan.(Main)

Byline: TIMOTHY SPENCE Times Union Washington bureau

WASHINGTON - A key Republican senator on Tuesday expressed misgivings about creating private Social Security investment accounts, signaling a tough battle ahead for President Bush's top domestic agenda item.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, joined Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee in questioning the merits of allowing workers to invest up to one-third of their Social Security taxes in the stock market in exchange for reduced guaranteed Social Security bene fits. The defection of a single Republican on the panel - which includes 11 Republicans and 9 Democrats - could lead to a tied vote and represent a setback to the party leadership and the White House.

At a hearing that included intense …