Milbank: Arizona shooting inspires the best of politics(Congress)

[RamboLiberal]

On Saturday, one member of Congress took a bullet to the head - and 434 of her colleagues stared into the abyss.

On Wednesday, chastened lawmakers returned to the Capitol vowing to change their hostile ways.

There was virtually no finger-pointing at anybody other than the crazed man who killed six and wounded 20, including the assassin's target, Arizona Democrat Gabby Giffords. Yet there was also agreement that even if this tragedy wasn't directly caused by political speech, the leaders' overheated words are endangering the health of the republic -- and the lives of its legislators. Their grief was compounded by Giffords's role as a centrist lawmaker who worked to overcome the partisan bitterness.

And so, a day that was originally supposed to see a fiery clash over repealing the health-care law turned out to be the most uplifting day in Congress at least since the Sept. 11 attacks. Breaking only for a prayer service, the members spent eight hours exchanging vows to do better by each other.

Rep. Trent Franks, the Arizona Republican who not long ago called President Obama "an enemy of humanity," said the shooting "was a reminder to me of... just how important it really is for each of us to seize every moment and to speak kind and loving words to each other while we still can."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/12/AR2011011206551.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

[RandySF]

1. May I have some Kool-Aide, too?

[democracy1st]

2. what a fool Milbank is, wait a couple weeks after all the funerals and these guys will be right back

at square one.

[Doctor_J]

3. Milbank is really a piece of shit

although he is just doing what his corporate right-wing paymasters and cocktail party pals ask him to do.