Pelosi's Super Pick

Xavier Becerra's new high-profile assignment in Washington should come with a fresh office supply of Tums.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, named the outspoken Becerra Thursday to one of the last slots on the so-called "super committee" that's charged with somehow digging up $1.5 trillion in deficit savings over the course of the next decade.

There'll be plenty of stomach acid involved for Becerra and others on the 12-member panel.  It's a largely thankless, if critical task.   But that responsibility is entirely in keeping with the tone of the high-stakes political cliffhanger that led to the super committee's birth--the fight earlier this month over raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Becerra, who is vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus, worked as a legislative staffer and served a single term in the Assembly at the state Capitol before heading to Washington.  He's represented a Los Angeles congressional district since 1993.

Ironically, Becerra was among those Democrats who broke with party leadership to vote against the debt ceiling package, saying it didn't "ask for shared sacrifice."

His appointment is seen as a signal by Pelosi that she wanted more liberal views on the panel, as it attempts to navigate a deep swamp of federal entitlements and obligations, enroute to reducing federal spending.

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