Cuts to Social Security are “off the table,” Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a video being circulated by a liberal activist group, making Mr. Reid one of the most high profile Democrats to take a stand on the issue.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Of course, his remarks imply that a major revamping of Social Security was actually on the table.

“As long as I’m the majority leader, I’m going to do everything within my legislative powers to prevent privatizing or eliminating Social Security,” Mr. Reid said in the video for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Simply say, ‘It’s off the table.’ We’re not going to balance the budget on the backs of senior citizens.”

House Republican leaders such as Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia have said the entitlement program needs reworking. But just last week, Speaker John Boehner of Ohio backed off his suggestion that the retirement age should be raised to 70. “I made a mistake when I did that,” Mr. Boehner told CNN. “Having the conversation about how the big problem is, is the first step.”

And while President Barack Obama said a lot about cutting spending in last week’s State of the Union address, he did not target Social Security…