- The Washington Times - Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sen. Tom Coburn repeated his warning Sunday that the United States will experience “apocalyptic pain” if the country fails to immediately address its economic problems, and he called upon President Obama to lead the way.

“If we don’t experience some pain now, we’re going to experience some apocalyptic pain,” Mr. Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

He said the upcoming debates — including ones on federal spending cuts and the U.S. debt level — should not be a “standoff” between Democrats and the incoming wave of GOP conservatives in Congress.



Mr. Coburn said he hopes the president “gets out and hold hands with us.”

He said that not resolving U.S. economic issues could result in 15 percent to 18 percent unemployment, the “middle class destroyed” and the poor hurt most by inflation.

Mr. Coburn also said the country could have potentially ruinous economic problems like those in Greece and Spain.

• Joseph Weber can be reached at jweber@washingtontimes.com.old.

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