House Honors Shooting Victims
The New York Times reports:
As President Obama prepared to head to Arizona Wednesday, the House of Representatives convened to consider a resolution honoring the dead and wounded in the shooting rampage in Tucson that left six dead and 14 wounded on Saturday, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
“These are difficult hours for our country,” said Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio.
With his eyes filled with tears, Mr. Boehner described the loss of Gabriel Zimmerman, an aide to Ms. Giffords who was killed in the shooting; Mr. Boehner called him “a public servant of the highest caliber” and “one of our own.”
“At the time of the attack, he was engaged in the most and direct of democratic rituals,” Mr. Boehner said, “listening to the people, listening to his neighbors.”
“We are thankful, so thankful, that Gabby is still with us,” Mr. Boehner added, his eyes welling anew. “We feel a litany of unwanted emotions that no resolution could possibly capture,” he said, sniffling and blowing his nose with a handkerchief. “We know that we gather here without distinction of party, the needs of this institution have always risen above partisanship.”
Later, Mr. Boehner added, “Our hearts are broken but our spirits are not.”
Mr. Boehner was followed at the microphone by the Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi of California, who was scheduled to travel with President Obama to attend a memorial service in Arizona later in the day.
“Words are inadequate at a time like this, but nonetheless I hope that it is a comfort to those who have lost loved ones or who were injured on Saturday that so many people mourn the losses, but also pray for the survivors, and also care for them at this difficult time,” Ms. Pelosi said. “I think the resolution, in its description of what happened and the context of what happened, is an excellent resolution, and I hope people will read it and pray over it and be grateful that we have this opportunity to comment on it.”
