Gabby Giffords Exits, Stage Left
There aren’t many “good news” items coming out of Washington, D.C. these days. With an economy still on life support, a war still being fought in Afghanistan, an impotent Congress, a presidential race unfolding and the general 1970s-esque malaise plaguing the population, you don’t hear much more than sniping from Capitol Hill.
Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was nearly assassinated last year, resigned her seat to focus entirely on her recovery. This morning, a tearful Congress sent her off with the kind of celebration sometimes reserved for returning troops from combat.
Rep. Giffords was roundly applauded today by the entire House of Representatives. It was a rare moment of unadulterated joy in the midst of a near-constant political tug-of-war between Democrats and Republicans. It was a feel-good story that made even tough reporters tear.
Tomorrow it will be business as usual in Washington, but today their humanity shined far and above their partisan hackery.
