Obama pens her essay
For inspiring a nation's prayers, Gabrielle Giffords named to Time 100 —alongside Tiger Mom & Julian Assange
She's not actually our congresswoman, but since Rep. Gabrielle Giffords flew here in January to begin rehab after her shooting in Tucson, she's been unofficially adopted by Houston.
And now she's been named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, which gathers such luminaries and newsmakers as Julian Assange, Mark Zuckerberg, Tiger Mom Amy Chua, Colin Firth and Egyptian protest leader Wael Ghonim.
Gifford's brief essay is written by Barack Obama, or at least "Barack Obama" — it reads like an aide cut and pasted from Obama's speech on Giffords to put together the two paragraphs.
"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," Obama wrote. ""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."
There was no repeat mention of Houston Mayor Annise Parker, whose newsmaking election propelled her onto Time's list in 2010.