WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will lead Americans in national mourning Wednesday after an Arizona shooting tragedy unleashed a polarizing national debate about the violent rhetoric rocking US politics.
Obama will fly to the southwestern state to lead a tribute service for the six people who were killed and the 14 wounded in the assassination attempt on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is fighting for her life in a hospital.His trip will take place after the family of the 22-year-old alleged gunman Jared Loughner said they were ‘so very sorry’ about Saturday’s assault and as surgeons gave an upbeat forecast of Democrat Giffords’s condition.Obama faces a moment fraught with risk but shrouded in political opportunity when he leads the service in Tucson, Arizona, at a time when he is trying to revive his bond with US voters.His task is complicated by liberal claims that a climate of hate whipped up by conservative figures like Sarah Palin may have tipped Loughner over the edge and exposed malign divisions of US politics. – Nampa-AFP
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