It was a decisive victory for Washington insiders against the more principled progressive members of the Senate. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced his three choices for the first-ever "super" committee that will draw up a plan for resolving the nation's fiscal situation. Those Senate Democrats are Patty Murray (WA), Max Baucus (MT) and John Kerry (MA). All three have decades-long careers in Washington, all three voted for the PATRIOT Act, and yes, all three voted for increased spending in the Iraq war.

Reid is certainly not interested in Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), who blames much of the nation's fiscal problems on the Federal Reserve. Reid also ignored Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) who assumed office in 2009 and opposed the corporate banking bailouts that were allegedly designed to repair the U.S. economy.

It's business as usual for Senator Reid, who evidently has no respect for fresh ideas in the American political climate. What remains a mystery is how Reid imagines the fiscal crisis will be solved by doing the same thing over and over again, continually supporting the alliance between big government and big business at every turn. If the "super Congress" is going to be anything but a super failure, it will need some members who are willing to attack defense contractors, the false "security" state, and the banking industry -- and evidently Americans can't look to Senate Democrats for that form of leadership.

Nine more members of the committe have yet to be announced. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will pick three Senate Republicans, while the House leaders will pick three Congressmen from each party as well. Will anyone have the guts to make principled picks?