evening here in the nation s capital. just to underline the peril facing the united states economy, and the american people, democratic officials familiar with the president s speech expect him to say the country right now is, quote, in imminent threat of default. with only about one week left for democrats and republicans to agree on a deal to raise the debt ceiling. in a speech earlier today, the president alluded to the bitter political grid lock between both sides. are we a nation that asks only the middle class and the poor to bear the burden? after they ve seen their jobs disappear and their incomes decline over a decade? are we a people who break the promises we ve made to seniors or the disabled and leave them to fend for themselves? that s not who we are. we are better than that. we re a people who look out for one another. we re a people who believe in shared sacrifice. because we know that we rise or fall as one nation. congressional leaders from both parties u