WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leaders are considering whether to seek Democratic support for Social Security legislation without the personal accounts sought by President Bush, aiming to restore them later, officials said yesterday.

Any such move would mark a tactical shift and could anger the White House, which is in the midst of an intensive 60-day campaign to sell Mr. Bush’s approach to the public.

The internal discussions among top Senate Republicans come at a time when the drive to overhaul Social Security – the centerpiece of Mr. Bush’s agenda – appears stalled. Democrats routinely attack his proposed accounts as privatization, and adamantly resist the idea of including them in any legislation designed to shore up the program’s finances.

With public opinion polls showing modest support at best for Mr. Bush’s plan, Republicans have yet to coalesce behind a proposal of their own.

Several officials familiar with the discussions among GOP leaders said the lawmakers are wary of creating the impression they are jettisoning the centerpiece of Mr. Bush’s plan.

In the end, they are determined to have something along the lines of what the president wants, said one official, echoing sentiments expressed by others.

These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the topic. They said top Republicans discussed an approach under which they would effectively acquiesce in an attempt to test the waters for bipartisan legislation without personal accounts. Senator Graham, of South Carolina, for example, has met with members of both parties in recent months in hopes of jump-starting compromise talks.

In the House, majority Republicans are also proceeding with caution on the issue, concerned about possible political repercussions in the 2006 midterm elections.