Like anything else in Washington these days leading up to next November's elections, the principals of the so called "super committee" need to secure their agenda, their vision, and their political party's public face.

More than trying to "fix", or even get a handle on the enormous debt run up by this administration, the two political parties involved want to establish their election agenda.

The party that blinks will probably lose the election. I think it's as simple as that. So each side has dug in their heels and is insisting on the most important aspects of it's agenda be inviolable.