Giffords: A sign of hope

The Syracuse Post-Standard: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ appearance Monday on the House floor for the vote on raising the debt ceiling was a sign of hope, in more ways than one.

Who could have even hoped on that January day in Arizona that Giffords would survive being shot in the head, when six others already had perished in a hail of gunfire? Yet with the best of medical care, she did survive, and more. She’s able to walk (however unsteadily), to process thoughts, to feel a sense of duty to her constituents, to cast a vote, even to tweet.

Perhaps there’s hope for Congress, too. Just when partisan rancor and divisiveness seemed poised to send the nation over a cliff, there Giffords was — a living, breathing reminder to her colleagues that rancor and divisiveness exact a great price. That her vote helped put the measure over the top only added to the emotional weight of the moment.

Giffords’ return also brings to mind the toll the debt ceiling debate took on President Obama’s standing. Remember his stirring speech at the memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shooting spree? He had called on Americans to put aside their differences and to work together on solving our nation’s problems.