Super Committee Prospects? Find Synonyms for 'Bleak'

So how go the super committee talks as the clock ticks toward the deadline of Wednesday (which really means Monday night for all practical purposes)? It's all but impossible to find even a glimmer of hope:

• Washington Post: Headline: "Supercommittee at impasse as deadline nears"; snippet: "By Friday evening, a sense of gloom enveloped the Capitol ..."
• Wall Street Journal: It says party leaders already are working on a smaller backup plan given the "bleak outlook" for a deal. "A growing disappointment gripped the Capitol ..."

• New York Times: Headline: "Deadline Near, Deficit Panel Is Still at Deep Impasse"; Snippet: "Negotiations were in disarray, with Republicans and Democrats even disputing what precisely divided them."
• Los Angeles Times: Headline: Panel "will probably pass the buck to voters"; snippet: "The bipartisan panel plans to keep meeting over the weekend as it searches for a deal, but its 14-week effort to negotiate a long-term plan to reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion increasingly seems headed toward a fizzle."
• Elsewhere: The Hill is focusing on what the automated defense cuts might mean, while Politico says President Obama isn't expected to intervene.

Click to read one take on why failure may not mean much.