RESTON —Freshmen U.S. senators rarely get starring roles in efforts to solve the nation's biggest problems, but Sen. Mark Warner may be one of the exceptions.

The Virginia Democrat formed the "Gang of Six," a group of three Democratic and three Republican senators crafting a massive plan to cut the $14 trillion national debt and solidify the country's fiscal future.

The group's plan is one of many, but it's thought to stand a better chance than most because it seeks the political middle ground.

It's being written behind closed doors by Warner, Republicans Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Kent Conrad of North Dakota.

"Our premise has been, everything has to be on the table," Warner said. "That means as a Democrat, I've got to be willing to look at entitlement reforms. That means Republicans ... have got to look at the (tax increase) side."

Though Warner came to the Senate just two years ago, he has gained the respect of colleagues on fiscal matters and is seen as a serious legislator.

As Virginia's popular governor from 2002 to 2006, he turned a budget deficit into a surplus by cutting waste, making reasonable cuts in government programs and raising some taxes without angering large numbers of voters, according to Stan Collender, a Washington-based fiscal expert and a former staffer on the House and Senate Budget Committees.

In an article for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Collender wrote that Warner's approach of reducing the government's costs rather than its size — as tea party conservatives demand — may be the only practical path available to Congress.

Before serving as governor, Warner was a wealthy venture capitalist who made millions making early investments in the technology industry. His private-sector successes boost his credibility on fiscal matters.

Warner, a political moderate and fiscal conservative, said he began "obsessing" last summer about ways to cut the national debt and discussed possible solutions with Chambliss. Four other senators joined, forming the Gang of Six. Members invited presentations from financial experts and government officials to master the ins and outs of the fiscal problems and review possible solutions.

Gang of Six members agreed early that Congress can't afford to postpone action on the debt, not even until after the 2012 presidential election.

Warner's view of how the group's plan will fare in a bitterly divided Congress is couched in the language of hope.

He hopes Republicans and Democrats see the plan as a rational solution. He hopes business groups like it and lobby Congress to support it. He hopes the presence of the ultraconservative Coburn and the ultraliberal Durbin in the group proves partisan divides can be bridged. He hopes congressional leaders adopt the plan as is without breaking it into smaller pieces.

"We've got to make this the mother of all votes," Warner said. "At some point we've got to link arms and jump."

Warner is taking a calculated political risk by staking his reputation on something as controversial as a debt-reduction plan, Roanoke College political scientist Harry Wilson said. But he said Warner can afford to take that chance.

"What he has in Virginia is a lot of political capital," he said. "If there is anyone who can get away with doing what he is doing, it's Mark Warner."

Warner was seen as a potential presidential candidate early in the 2008 election cycle, but he said he wasn't interested.

But if the Gang of Six achieves a bipartisan breakthrough, he could claim credit. And should he change his mind about running for the White House, "that's not a bad line on your resume," Wilson noted.