Giffords' farewell

David Graham captions:

Just over one year after she was shot and badly wounded in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said on Sunday that she's stepping down from Congress this week to focus on her recovery. She made the announcement in a brief video, addressing constituents. The whole video is powerful, featuring the congresswoman addressing the camera, with scenes from her recovery and her emotional appearance on the House floor last fall. But perhaps the most poignant moment is hearing Giffords -- whose recovery has been described as miraculous, but whose speech remains halting -- thanking Arizonans for "the trust you put in me to be your voice." And she promises we haven't seen the last of her: "I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country."

Amy Davidson shares her thoughts:

It will be worth remembering Giffords’s voice while watching the Republican debate tonight. (There is, indeed, another one, and another on Thursday, with the State of the Union in between.) After she was shot, there were calls for a better tone in political discourse. It doesn’t seem that we have achieved it, even within the parties; these Republicans aren’t even nice to each other. (Ron Paul, at least, abides.) Now that the field is smaller, the debates have been less leavened by absurdity, and are tending toward pure, personal viciousness. Is that good for the Republicans, or for anyone?