state of the union address last night, today congresswoman gabrielle giffords will say good-bye to the job she loves at least for now and to the colleague she has worked with for five years. giffords will be casting her final vote on an anti-drug smuggling bill that she has fought for, and then formally submit her resignation. for now giffords will focus on her recovery from that terrible shooting in tucson just more than a year ago, but she is vowing to return. nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins me now, and, kelly, i can only imagine what must be going through the minds of her colleagues on the hill today. what are we expecting? >> well, chris, this has certainly been a national experience from the tragic day last january and for many members of congress it's much more personal. gabrielle giffords is someone they have known, many have considered her a friend. a democrat who has been considered very centrist and truly has friends in both parties. those of us who have covered her and knew her before those

terrible events of last year, she's a very likable person so there's a real genuine spirit of rooting for her and wanting to honor her today. in addition, hearing from many members who have already given tributes on the floor today also honoring her staff who has done a remarkable job of keeping things going. i would check in with them regularly and they would tell me about the constituent services they were completing, the work on her behalf, tending to the bills that she had been a part of, including one that will come on the floor in a short while that deals with issues at the border. her tucson district covers 114 miles of the u.s./mexico border, so the issue they have been debating this morning and will vote on and we expect a big bipartisan vote deals with trying to prevent smuggling across the border using aircraft. it is the kind of nitty-gritty stuff that happens on capitol hill all the time, but it is taking a bigger kind of emotional importance today because you've got people not only wanting to acknowledge her work but her service, her

family, and that of her staff. so it's one of those very special days when people don't like congress, this is a day when they see a different side of congress. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much and we are going to be standing by for when gabby giffords comes to the floor of the house. in the meantime, another amazing mission accomplished for the navy sa.e.a.l.s. that same navy s.e.a.l. team that took out bin laden, they've done it again, rescuing two kidnap victims, including an american woman during a daring overnight raid against somali pirates. there was a tip-off last night. the president congratulating defense secretary leon panetta prior to his address. >> leon, good job tonight. good job tonight. >> and then we just got this photo this morning. after the speech the president called the father of american jessica buchanan to tell him his daughter is safe. the first lady you see standing just behind him. this morning vice president

biden explained the timing of the mission. >> it had been in the works for a while, matt, and the president authorized it yesterday because the special operations forces said this was the time. jessica's health was beginning to decline. she's a young woman in her 30s. we wanted to act. >> nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski joins me now. what do we know about the details of this rescue? >> well, there was some urgency to this mission, as vice president biden indicated just a moment ago in that sound bite from the interview with matt lauer earlier this morning. that is that fbi negotiators were apparently talking to the kidnappers who were holding not only jessica buchanan but her danish colleague who were both relief workers there in somalia when they were grabbed three months ago. but according to dod officials jessica had some kind of pre-existing medical condition that was worsening and had become life-threatening actually so that the fbi called the military and essentially said,

hey, we need to do something and we need to do it fast. so president obama on monday gave the order to carry out this mission, this rescue mission. the military decided to do it yesterday, and they -- or tuesday, and they scheduled it for wednesday for whatever circumstances. and it's unclear whether there were actually any shots fired by the kidnappers because the navy s.e.a.l.s and apparently u.s. army rangers, all special operations forces, descended on that encampment late at night. many of them were apparently sleeping. in the end all nine of them were shot dead. the two hostages were rescued. they have been taken to an off-site at a u.s. military facility, medical facility, in the region for examination. they weren't injured in the rescue attempt, but, again, there was some concern about jessica's medical condition. they're still undergoing that examination, and it's undetermined yet when she'll be able to return home.

>> i tell you, we have both spent time with the navy s.e.a.l.s as they have been training. what they do is absolutely remarkable, and so big salute to them this morning. jim miklaszewski, thank you. who knows, maybe we will hear more about that rescue later today because right now the president is on his way to cedar rapids, iowa, kicking off a three-day tour through three swing states. later today he will stop in phoenix, then hits las vegas, tomorrow denver and detroit. at each stop he's expected to echo the same themes he hit in the state of the union speech. first, the economy is getting better, but everyone needs to pay their fair share. and he laid down the gauntlet to congress calling on them to pass everything from immigration reform and tax breaks for businesses to the extension of the payroll tax cut. sounding an optimistic tone that things still can be accomplished. >> america is back. anyone who tells you otherwise,

anyone who tells you that america is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn't know what they're talking about. >> nbc's mike viqueira live at the white house for us. he set the stage last night. what are we going to hear today? >> reporter: it was also a patriotic tone in addition to the optimistic tone that you mentioned, chris. i think by one count our folks in the political unit counted the use of america or american more than 80 times last night, and, yes, presidents often, as we see the president alight there from his helicopter, marine one, walking across the tarmac at joint base andrews ready to board air force one and on his way, first stop cedar rapids, iowa. it's not unusual, chris, i was saying for presidents to travel the country behind the message they deliver before a national tv audience in the state of the union, but in this case what he's saying is almost important or at least where he's saying it is almost as important as what he says. you point out that these are swing states, and they certainly are. iowa figuring very large in the

obama re-election campaign. the president is going to cedar rapids this afternoon. he'll be speaking a the a manufacturing plant there. you heard the president last night talking about the need to reinvigorate manufacturing in this country. then he's on to chandler, arizona. definitely a red state, not a swing state. we see the president turn to wave good-bye. arizona in the view of many democrats is ripe for the plucking because of the burgeoning hispanic population that tends to vote democrat i can. he's on to nevada where he will spend the night. he has another speech about energy policy, another major theme of his speech last night, and then onto michigan. he's going to be talking about education, of course, something that the president has spoken about over the course of his administration, chris. >> all right. mike viqueira, thank you very much. we want to talk more about the state of the union and bring in our company, daily news conservative column s.e. cup and msnbc news contributor karen hunter. good morning to both of you. >> gooed mornin ee eed -- good .

>> president didn't mention mitt romney but listen to this. >> we don't bedrudge financial success in this country, we admire it. when americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of tacks, it's not because they envy the rich. it's because they understand that when i get a tax break i don't need and the country0lonú afford, it either adds to the deficit or somebody else has to make up the difference. >> somebody else has to make up the difference. do you get the sense that he might have been talking about someone in particular? >> no, i think he was answering a larger question, which was about this whole class warfare issue that the republicans seem to have laid out, and i think he answered it very well. it is true. you know, when we talk about warren buffett, and we saw his secretary in the audience last night, not paying the same tax rate, there's a fundamental problem. i think most americans understand that, and i think the president laid it out

beautifully last night. >> and he wants to make millionaires pay more. this has been a theme he's sounded. interesting timing because we did just see mitt romney's tax returns. here he was right after the state of the union. >> if you add together my taxes and my charitable contributions, i think in the most recent year it looks like it's over 40%. i have been extraordinarily successful. i didn't inherit that money. i made that money, and in the process helped put a lot of people in jobs. i'm proud of what i have been able to do and want to make a real contribution to help get more people to work. it's one reason i'm running for president. >> you know, it was interesting, there was an interview this morning with a number of people down in florida, and there was a 51-year-old single mother with two kids, and she was infuriated by the tax returns and basically she said, he made all this money without ever getting any income. get a job. you know, which i guess he might say he's trying to do, but is he answering this well? is he making his argument, mitt

romney? >> nots a effectively as he could and should. i think it's remarkable for a guy who has been running for this office essentially for six years he still hasn't come up with a very good decisive conversation ending defense of his wealth and his. >> it's not like he didn't know it was coming. >> exactly. but he's getting there. i think pointing out how philanthropic he's been, how hard he's worked, that he hasn't inherited this money, i think those are good notes to hit, but there's got to be a better way to say, look, i'm rich. i am filthy rich, and you can be, too, and i want to help all americans have the kind of success and at least the opportunity for the kind of success that i have had. >> the fact he can't do it is why he can't be president. >> let's talk about what the president had to say about congress because he definitely was putting out the challenges. let's listen. >> it is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs

overseas and start rewarding company that is create jobs right here in america. send me these tax reforms, and i will sign them right away. let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country. send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. i will sign it right away. none of this can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. we need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. >> the looks on the faces of eric cantor and mitch mcconnell and john boehner. >> stone cold eric cantor. >> it was almost scary, but the republicans say he was setting up a divisive year, karen. >> i think when he said to lower the temperature, i think he was setting up an opportunity for them to stop doing what they've been doing for the last three years and finally govern this country. there are a lot of things out

there that can get done. there are a lot of things out there that should have gotten done. i think people -- you know, want to criticize the president because he had congress and he had everything but he wanted to compromise. i think that may have been a mistake, to compromise with people who did not want to work with him in the beginning but now there's an opportunity and the american people are watching. it put them in the corner which is why eric cantor had to sit there like that because he knew, oh. >> this happened on the 1,000th day without a senate majority budget. it puts both teams in the corner saying you have to work together. >> there are ideas that appeal to both sides. the payroll tax cut, with he have to get this done. more drilling, a ban on insider trading. you would think that would maybe -- >> be obvious. >> but the analysis i'm hearing generally is that this is going to be a year where stuff gets done on the margins, the important stuff again gets ignored because it's a political year. do you think -- >> sure. >> -- that's where we're headed?

>> this was a very safe election year speech. he didn't make a lot of big promises. set very modest goals. this was a small ball speech. he glossed over the controversial big, you know, plans that he put into motion over the past three years like obama care, and really i thought tossed out very touchy-feely things to both sides. bring manufacturing back. equal pay forc' equal work[ women. everyone should go to college. not a lot of specifics there, but certainly not too controversial. >> thanks to both of you. >> thanks. and we are expecting, again, to see -- there she is. underneath the letters, there's gabby giffords walking in. there she is with debbie wasserman schultz. obviously congresswoman and dnc chair but has been her closest friend in the five years that she has spent in congress, and obviously a very bittersweet day

for everyone who is there. gabby giffords again was always considered very moderate. she had a lot of friends there, and absolutely inspirational. i can tell you having been down in arizona in the day after the shooting and spending time there, early on it was touch and go, and her doctors have said that her recovery has been miraculous, and she wanted to wait. she wanted to wait and see if she could possibly balance the demands of, frankly, the recovery, of getting well again, and also the demands of congress, and she has decided at this time she needs to focus on her recovery. but how inspirational when she said, and let me bring kelly o'donnell back in on the hill, how inspirational when she said, i'll be back. >> reporter: it's the kind of spirit that has been driving her recovery, and many people here accept it as genuine. i had a republican aide say to me when she reaches a point where she feels confident that she could be a candidate again, she could get any kind of job in

elected office. so there is a warmth and an enthusiasm directed to her. many people admired the fact she made a decision to step down. there really was not political pressure for her to do this. she had until may to announce whether she would seek re-election. no one in the republican party had declared for her seat. there weren't challengers looming. now, of course, there will be people who will put their name forward for the special election, but she was not under pressure. her staff has been carrying the load. other members from arizona have been assisting even across party lines trying to make certain that her issues were carried forward and her constituents' needs were being met. so many say this is a selfless act, don't often see that in politics, both parties will acknowledge. so there's a lot of interest in the way she has treated this, not only in her recovery, but as a public servant. members of congress are so aware of how they are often viewed not in the best of ways from the public, and she has been someone they can all relate to who has

been really an example of how to be a public servant and in a much more personal way, just how to be a resilient human being and people have admired that and have enjoyed sharing these ever so brief moments to reconnect with her again. this is now only the third time she's been on the house floor since that terrible day in january of last year. surprised everyone by returning for the vote last august that was an important vote on the debt ceiling. stunned her colleagues then. of course, last night an enormous welcome when she attended the state of the union, and today another wonderful welcome joined by her friend, debbie wasserman schultz. her chief of staff is the woman who has been right behind her wearing a gold blouse today, pia carasone. she has been at giffords' side, literally the person she's leaned on, because her mobility has been so affected by this and someone who has really been carrying that office. so there's been a lot of tribute to staffers today as well, chris. >> and i think it's also -- we

can -- let's listen in. here is john boehner now. >> the rules are suspended. the bill is passed without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members can take their seats. for what purpose is the gentle laidy from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order. >> without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, all of us come to the floor today, colleagues of congresswoman gabby giffords, to salute her as the brightest star among us, the brightest star congress has ever seen.

[ applause ] when she came to congress and in her service and leadership here, gabby giffords brought to washington and the capitol the views of a new generation of national leader. from this floor she has spoken out courageously and led boldly at times that demanded both. since the tragic events of one year ago, congresswoman giffords has become an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of americans. she has brought the word dignity

to new heights by her courage. [ applause ] congresswoman giffords' message of bipartisanship and civility is one that all in washington and in the nation should honor and emulate. as gabby said in her video, which moved us all so much this weekend, we can do so much more by working together. [ applause ] in that vein, mr. speaker, i want to thank you for courtesies extended to enable this extraordinary ceremony to take place today. thank you, mr. speaker. [ applause ]

wlt your permission, i'd like to acknowledge gabby's mother, who is with us today, gloria, and her father spencer, who is watching from tucson. gloria. [ applause ] we thank you, and we thank commander mark kelly, a hero in his own right as an astronaut. [ applause ]

a hero in his own right as an astronaut and a commander of a mission, but also our personal hero for the care and love that he has given to gabby over this past year. oh, and before that to help make here, as gloria and spencer has, the person that she is. i join i think all of our colleagues join in thanking you, gabby, for the honor of calling you colleague and wishing you and mark much happiness and success. you will be missed in the house of representatives, but your legacy in this congress and your leadership in our nation will certainly endure. so thank you for being who you are, for lifting our country at a very important and sad time, and we wish you, again, much success, with great gratitude, admiration, and fex, affection,

salute you, congresswoman gabby giffords. [ applause ] does the gentleman seek recognition? my privilege to yield the floor to the distinguished majority leader of the house, representative cantor. >> i thank the leader, and, mr. speaker, a little more than a year ago america witnessed a heinous attack on congresswoman gabby giffords, her staff, and the citizens of tucson. this attack took six innocent lives, including gabe zimmerman's, injured 13, and shook all of us in the

congressional community and, in fact, our nation to its core. this attack was a stark reminder that even in this country where freedom of speech and public demonstration are the cornerstones of our democracy, citizens and public officials can face violence and danger. we will never forget those who lost their life on that fateful day or the brave efforts of our law enforcement community members and a very special intern who responded in the emergency. mr. speaker, i know i speak for all of my colleagues when i say we are inspired, hopeful, and blessed for the incredible progress that gabby has made in her recovery. [ applause ]

gabby's courage, her strength, and her downright fortitude are an inspiration to all of us and all americans. as gabby leaves the house today, mr. speaker, she's decided to focus her energies on recovery, but she has refused to give up her fight for the people of her beloved arizona and her country. and as such, today we will vote on her legislation to help secure our nation's southwestern border. gabby's bill gives law enforcement greater authority to penalize those who seek to do us harm by engaging in illegal activity along the border. i commend gabby for her

commitment to work on this and her unwavering commitment to a safer, more secure america. for the past six years h congre, congresswoman gibby giffords has served arizona's eighth district to dignity and dedication. i want to recognize her accomplishments and thank her staff in their exceptional service, dedication, and, yes, courage during these difficult times. [ applause ] mr. speaker, i especially want to recognize her chief of staff, pia carasone.

[ applause ] i know having met with pia personally, her having worked with our office, she has demonstrated incredible dedication to her co-workers, to you, gabby, and, mr. speaker, she's demonstrated unparalleled leadership for the people of the eighth district of arizona and to that i know they are and we are very grateful. on sunday, mr. speaker, i received a call from captain mark kelly, as we all know gabby's husband. who informed me of gabby's decision.

mark has been steadfast in his support of his wife and forever by her side as her best friend and partner. though gabby may be leaving washington today, i know this won't be the last we see of her or mark. we wish you, gabby, we wish mark together the best as they continue the process of gabby's recovery. and i will say once again, mr. speaker, congresswoman gabby giffords' strength against all odds serves and will continue to serve as a daily inspiration to all of us. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. [ applause ]

>> jeptle lady from california. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the leader and am now pleased to yield to gabby's friend, congressman hoyer. >> i thank the lelder for yielding. i thank the speaker for ensuring we would have the opportunity to speak to our friend, gabby giffords. i thank the majority leader for his comments. none of us on this floor are talented enough to summon the rhetoric that all of us feel in our hearts. we have young men and women arrayed on the fields in iraq, afghanistan, and other troubled spots in the world. they are fighting for freedom

and democracy. and too many of them are injured on those fields. our beloved colleague, gabrielle giffords, was injured on the field in the exercise of that democracy, and in being injured she has become an example for us, for all americans, indeed all the world of courage, of clarity of purpose, of grace, of responsibility, of a sense of duty, which she exercises this day. i love gabby giffords. i was honored when she first ran for office before she was elected to go to her district,

as i have done for so many others in this country, to stand by her side, to walk down the streets of her community with her, to see in her the beauty not only of person. many of us see the outward advicea a visage of us all, about you gabby's beauty is in the heart, in the soul, in the spirit. the house of representatives of america has been made proud by this extraordinary daughter of this house who served so well during her tenure here, who felt so deeply about her constituents, and cared so much for her country. gabby, we love you.

we have missed you. >> i missed you. [ applause ] >> mr. speaker, i don't know whether you were able to hear that response. as gabby looked with that extraordinary smile, the twinkle in her eyes as she said to me and to all of us, "and i miss you." do any of us doubt that that is the case? pia, we are blessed in this house to be served by extraordinary people, of which you are a perfect example. people who love us but love their country even more, who serve our constituents so

extraordinarily well, who evidence every daycare for car and care for the work we do, which we could not do, pia, without people like yourself and all of your colleagues that we call staff. thank you. [ applause ] mr. speaker, god has blessed gabrielle giffords, and he has sent a blessing to all of us in the person of gabrielle giffords, and god blessed gabby as well with an extraordinary mom and dad and an extraordinary

partner in life. mark, we owe you a debt of gratitude. our country owes you a debt of gratitude. i look forward to the day when you and gabby will be returning here, returned to full health and full ability to serve. gabby, america thanks you. it thanks you for the example that you have given of overcoming adversity and doing so with a spirit unparalleled. god bless you and godspeed. [ applause ] >> mr. speaker, i know that every member in the house would

like to associate himself or herself with the remarks of our distinguished majority leader and democratic whip, especially in regard to gabby, of course, but also pia. it is something that every day we have the chaplain or the guest chaplain come to the floor and ask god's blessing on this house. as mr. hoyer said, one of those blessings to us has certainly been the leadership and the life and service that will continue for many years to come of congresswoman gabby giffords. we focus on her, she is our friend, we look at her remarkable recovery with great pride. she also carries in her need for recovery the sorrow of so many others who lost their lives today, so the apparent physical recovery that we see is something even more than we

could ever imagine for the challenge that congresswoman giffords has faced. god gave her a very special mission. he gave it to gabby giffords because he knew she could carry that burden because he had blessed her with so many, many gifts and a very loving family to make her the person that she is. how fortunate we have all been to be part of her life until now and hopefully for a long time to come. she will miss us. so now it is with very mixed emotions, mr. speaker, that i yield to gabby's very good and close friend, i say mixed emotions because we want her to stay with us, intellectually know she, gabby, has made the right decision. hopefully it will be liberating for her in many ways, but that she goes without knowing the close ties we all feel personally to her, and so, mr.

speaker, it is my honor to yield the floor now to very close friend of gabby, a leader in this house, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. >> the gentle lady from florida is recognized. >> if i can ask my colleagues to join me at the well. thank you, mr. speaker and madam leader. mr. whip and majority leader, i couldn't prepare anything this morning because i knew that i would not be able to hold it together very long. i am so proud of my friend, and

it will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met gabby giffords and to have served with her in this body. we have all been through such a tumultuous year. the nation has been through a tumultuous year. no one more tumultuous than gabby and her family and her constituents in her beloved home city of tucson, arizona, and i know being able to be gabby's voice today that knowing her as well as i do that the one thing that has not been said is that gabby wants her constituents to know, her constituents who she loves so much in southern arizona, that it has been the greatest professional privilege of her life to represent them, that she loves them as a fifth generation tucsonian, that her public service has meant a great deal to her and that this is only a pause in that public service and that she will return

one day. to public service. to represent them as she has so capably for the last 5 1/2 years. [ applause ] and let me just say a point of personal privilege that for the last year it has been one of the honors of my life and the most important thing to remember that no matter what we argue about here on this floor or in this country, that there is nothing more important than family and friendship, and that should be held on high above all else, and i will always carry that in my heart and even though i know we won't see each other every day, gabby, we will be friends for life, for life.

>> thank you. [ applause ] i'm so sorry. it's my privilege to read this letter on behalf of gabby and her family and her constituents. january 25th, 2012, the honorable john boehner be, speaker of the house of representatives, dear speaker boehner, in 2001 strongly holding the belief that there is no higher calling than serving my country, i went from selling tires in my tucson family business to being a freshman representative in the arizona state house. and for ten years i served in the arizona legislature, in the united states congress, and after marrying mark, as a proud military spouse. always i fought for what i thought was right, but never did i question the character of those with whom i disagreed. never did i let pass an

opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals. in public service i found a venue for my pursuit of a stronger america by ensuring the safety and security of all americans, by producing clean energy here at home instead of importing oil from abroad and by honoring our brave men and women in uniform with the benefits they earned. i found a way to care for others, and in the past year i have found a value that is unbreakable even by the most vicious of attacks. the tragic january 8th shooting in tucson took the lives of six beautiful americans and wounded 13 others, me included. i'm sorry. not a day goes by that i don't feel grief for the lives lost and so many others torn apart. christina taylor green, dorothy morris, john roll, phyllis schneck, dorwin stot ard, and

gabe zimmerman embodied the best of america, each in their own way they committed their lives to serving their families, community, and country and they died performing a basic but important act of citizenship that's at the heart of our greatness as a nation. they will be remembered always by their country and by their congress. i don't remember much from that terrible day, but i have never forgotten my constituents, my colleagues, or the millions of americans with whom i share great hopes for this nation. to all of them, thank you for your prayers, your cards, your well wishes, and your support, and even as i have worked to regain my speech, thank you for your faith in my ability to be your voice. the only way i ever served my district in congress was by giving 100%. i would add it's 150%. this past year that's what i have given to my recovery. thank you for your patience.

from my first steps and first words after being shot to my current physical and speech therapy, i have given all of myself to being able to walk back onto the house floor this year to represent arizona's eighth congressional district. however, today i know that now is not the time. i have more work to do on my recovery before i can again serve in elected office. this past year my colleagues and staff have worked to make sure my constituents were represented in congress, but if i can't return, my district deserves to elect a u.s. representative who can give 100% to the job now. for that reason, i have submitted the attached letter of resignation to arizona governor jan brewer. amid all that was lost on january 8th, there was also hope and faith. this past year it is what i have often clung to. hope that our government can represent the best of a nation, not the worst. faith that americans working together in their communities,

in our congress can succeed without qualification. hope and faith that even as we are set back by tragedy or profound disagreement, in the end we come together as americans to set a course toward greatness. every day i am working hard. i will recover and will return, and we will work together again for arizona and for all americans. since sincerely, gabrielle giffords, member of congress. [ applause ] [ applause ]

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[ applause ] >> mr. speaker, in appreciation once again for your courtesies enabling this to happen, i yield back the balance of our time. >> the gentle lady yields back the balance of her time. the chair would remind all members to be in proper business attire when you come to the floor of the house. without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from washington, mr. riker, to suspend the rules and pass hr-3801 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. >> it is hard not to be moved by what we have witnessed on the bmpa 3 1/2 minute standing ovat for gabby giffords, whose selflessness and integrity in her decision to step down, whose absolute strength is an inspiration. watching her climb those stairs

with her good friend debbie wasserman schultz and hand her letter of resignation to house speaker john boehner, and debbie wasserman schultz, one of her closest friends and kelly o'donnell is still on the hill, i can remember speaking with congresswoman wasserman schultz so many times in arizona in the days after the horrible shooting, and the medical prognosis for her was so iffy, and she would look you in the eye and say, if you know gabby giffords the way i know gabby giffords, you won't count her out, and look what she has done. i don't think that there is a doctor of who treated her in those early days who would have thought this was possible, and all you can hope is that it does serve as the right kind of inspiration for other members of congress at this time. your thoughts right now, kelly, as someone who has been on the hill so long? >> reporter: she can known before these events for someone who reached out to colleagues

across the aisle, actively worked to be a centrist, proud to be a democrat, happy to work with republicans when she could find common ground. so the outpouring is rooted in her public life, not just a reaction to what has happened to her, and when you talk about her recovery, it has been a full-time job with her rehabilitation. she spends hours at the specialist each day going over speech therapy, mobility therapy, what many people don't realize, the glasses she wears today, she lost about half of her eyesight as a consequence of the shooting. she does have speech, but even close friends will say she has difficulty forming complicated thoughts. she can understand, but the ability to speak has been certainly heavily affected, part of why she appeared in a video to announce her resignation where they could control that and she could deliver the words in enough time that she needed to make that video tribute and really a thank you letter to her

constituents. so there is a great deal of work to continue, and many doctors who we've talked to over the course of this year have said there is great hope for recovery. it is a matter of time and effort, and she has said in her letter and when talking to staff that she wants to be able to focus on that fully and not leave her constituents with any doubt that they are well-served in congress. again, there have been many other members of congress who have suffered injuries or illness, some in the senate, including the vice president who had a brain aneurysm, joe biden i'm referring to, of course, was able to recover and come back. and in the house it's only a two-year term, so there is less time to recover and still serve. so many people had expected she might, in fact, be able to run for re-election. it's an incredibly tough district and many of her colleagues also respected what a hard-fought fight it was for her in 2010 to win her seat, and they certainly respect her decision today. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. and i think it's worth noting

again as a tribute to her character that one of her last acts back in arizona as a congresswoman was to meet with the folks that were there on that day in the parking lot of the shopping center who wanted to get out and meet their congresswoman and share with her their thoughts on that day. i have to say, as i bring in c.s. and karen, i was a little surprised the speaker didn't use the opportunity to just say a few words about gabby giffords, but overall your thoughts on what we have just seen on the floor of the house. >> i look at gabby giffords as a metaphor for what america can be, the indomitable spirit to come back and fight. i think the president used some of that last night in his speech to carry forth the message of what the future of america can look like and gabby giffords is the best of that and congress can take a lesson from. that. they're hated not for anything other than they can't get along. we see that's a phony veil and they need to take it off and start working together. >> can they do that?

>> gosh, i hope so. if they can't do it after that, i don't know when they can. she is the perfect example of public service. so often we look at congress and think about this entitlement class that congress has become. gabby giffords, no one was going to tell her to step down. no one wanted to see her go. she's well-liked and she's an honest politician. so the fact that she did showed some integrity and courage, i think was really remarkable and a lesson that a lot of congressional members could take. >> we should say that the speaker is not to speak from the chair. that's not his role, but what an emotional morning this has been. thank, s.c., thank you karen hunter, and thank all of you for watching this extended coverage of the resignation of gabrielle giffords. i'm chris jansing. we'll take a quick break and we'll be right back.

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on the floor of the house today, a tribute to gabby giffords. the bill that she had championed for quite a while, a border security bill, passed 408-0. something you don't see very often. that wraps up this hour of "jansing & co." i'm chris jansing. thomas roberts is up next. -one. -two. -three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. complete turbofire program for just $119.95.

i am so proud of my friend, and it will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met gabby giffords and to have served with her in this body. >> genuinely emotional moment of tribute from both sides of the aisle to congresswoman gabrielle giffords as she officially resigns to focus on her full recovery from the shooting that nearly took her life. breaking new details about the navy s.e.a.l. team six rescue of an american woman held hostage by somali