A Worthy Read on the AZ Shootings

Amity Shlaes, no stranger to partisan ideology and rhetoric, has put up a refreshingly sober assessment of the recent shooting of Rep. Giffords and eight others in Arizona:

…if the evil moment is going to be exploited, let it be exploited in a useful way, as an impetus to change the tone of discourse in the U.S., to self-censor our own modern habit of violent talk.

Even without the shock of a tragedy, this is an easier moment than some to commence an era of civility. It’s not an election year. Democrats and Republicans share power in Congress. Bipartisan work can succeed if both parties get involved. It can reduce some of the political frustration that fuels the rage that in turn fuels the talk. And Gabrielle Giffords would like that.

Shlaes doesn’t hide her partisanship, but she’s eminently civil about it. Worth a read.