The appearance of Gabby Giffords on the floor of the house last night was an inspirational moment for the ages.

It occurred at a moment when Congress had torn itself apart over a debt ceiling debate that has plummeted the popularity of Congress even lower than usual which hardly seems possible.

A Pew Research poll showed that 66 per cent of Americans used the word "ridiculous" when asked to describe the negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on the debt ceiling.

As Willie Nelson told Paul Begala of CNN, folks should be worried about the ceiling over their head not some mythical debt ceiling

But amid the bloviators, the faux patriots, the preening there was a genuine moment of sheer drama, greatness and goodwill.

Gabby Giffords on the arm of her husband Commandant Mark Kelly limped gingerly onto the House floor to the kind of welcome that would be unimaginable for any other member of congress.

Anderson Cooper on CNN called it 'a breathtaking moment' and indeed it was , as we saw what American nobility, bravery and tenacity is all about.

Just months after taking a bullet to the brain the Arizona congresswoman walked back into her old workplace and stunned a watching nation.

Though rail thin and clearly affected on her right side she nonetheless looked composed and positively glowing as she responded to the applause and cast her vote .

During a few months when the hot air, even for Washington, reached epic levels it was wonderful to welcome true heroism.

"Throughout America, there isn't a name that stirs more love, more admiration, more respect, more wishing for our daughters to be like her, than the name Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords," Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.

Rep. Bill Flores, a Republican from Texas, said it was "a remarkable moment" to see Giffords walk onto the House floor.

So remarkable that for a brief moment it conjoined the two parties who have been treating each other with such contempt and ill will.

Maybe what America needs is Gabby Giffords back at her job, just to show the politicians what is really important in life, that triumph over adversity and goodness in the face of evil is what this country is also about.

May the road rise with you Gabby.