Congreswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a "very wonderful perky young woman, very popular in Arizona, a wonderful woman" is how Congressman Jerry Nadler described his friend.

Giffords is a Jewish American. Her husband Mark Kelly the astronaut was named in Irish America magazine's Top 100 last year.She told Dana Bash of CNN that she had attended midnight mass at the Vatican this Christmas after flying to Rome.

Rhetoric in Arizona has been very violent in the past few months. It has been sad to witness the type of naked threats and inflammatory laws that have been passed in that benighted state.

Governor Brewer has invented anti immigrant stories such as headless bodies found that were later discredited. Now she is cutting off people who need transplants to stay alive. No wonder her state is so politically highly charged

Gabrielle Giffords was threatened last year and her office was shot at. The above report is an anti Giffords tape from the Tea Party. If it transpires that Giffords was a victim of a hate crime from a deranged political opponent then it surely the moment when American must stop, take a deep breath and draw back from the poisoned political rhetoric that has plagued our politics.

Congresswoman Giffords, like so many other politicians is an easy target.Very few politicians have their own security. This may be a very sad day for America if it means that politicians can no longer be accessible to voters.

Perhaps it is time for Senator John McCain, her Arizona colleague, to show the way here and seek to end the partisan bitterness that has become such an unfortunate part of American politics