The violence in Tucson earlier this year was made all the more shocking by the quintessentially American

scene that it shattered: folks of different backgrounds yet part of the same community gathering to share

their hopes and ask questions of their elected representative. To put it simply, they came to do the daily

work of democracy.

Before that morning, Gabrielle Giffords may not have been a household name. But the reason she has

long been admired by people of all political stripes is that she embodies the best of what public service

should be: hard work and fair play, hope and resilience, a willingness to listen and a determination to do

your best in a busy world. As hard a battle as Giffords, 40, now fights every day, she's got a strong

partner in her husband Mark Kelly, who visits her daily while training to command the space shuttle

Endeavour. And she's got the prayers of a nation rooting for her, a model of civility and courage and unity

— a needed voice that cannot return soon enough.