Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Resigns from Congress

As a matter of habit, I wake up every morning and fire up the flat-screen to see what news or nonsense has transpired while I Dreamed of Jeannie or winning a $25 million lottery jackpot. Fifteen minutes of happy/shallow morning show talk is about all I can usually bear before heading to my office to stare at yet another screen.

But this morning was different, as I sat mesmerized for a good half-hour watching Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords formally resign from her seat in Congress. Emotional testimonials were delivered by her colleagues — Republicans and Democrats alike — and for one fleeting moment an admirable unity of purpose replaced the shrill political bickering that generally prevails in Washington, D.C. Talk about a dream....

We all remember with horror the demonic grin on the face of her would-be assassin, Jared Lee Loughner, as he was arraigned for the six people he succeeded in killing on January 8, 2011. He is an object lesson in how a fundamentally unstable personality can go off the rails entirely from illicit drug use. Loughner repeatedly used LSD, psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana in the years before the horrific attacks. As they say, garbage in, garbage out.

But to see Rep. Giffords — whom friends and colleagues lovingly call Gabby — beaming that humble, beatific smile while her fellow members of Congress extolled her strength, courage, and devotion to her constituents, was powerful enough to make one forget a pitiable madman for a few brief moments. As fractured and wretched as Loughner's life is, hers is an inspiration to all of us who care about integrity and self-sacrifice in the arena of politics. It is all too rare.

Yes, for a brief matter of moments, it was easy to be overcome by tearful emotion as Ms. Giffords made her faltering walk to Speaker Boehner's podium to hand over her letter of resignation. It was even possible to ignore the fact that only 13% of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing these days, as Democrats and Republicans steer the middle passage between principle and political survival in an election year.

The "take-away" from this morning's farewell to Gabby Giffords is that a minority of lawmakers like her are actually made of the stuff that democracy depends upon for its survival. She was dedicated to her constituents, worked tirelessly on their behalf, and was ever committed to important issues like border security, education, and renewable energy. She is in fact a poster-person for that last issue — here's hoping she renews her own formidable energies and returns to her seat in the shortest time possible. Gabrielle Giffords is a true American hero.