REUTERS/Mike Segar

President Barack Obama hugs U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' husband, NASA shuttle commander Mark Kelly, during Wednesday's service.

President Obama told us often that he wanted to be about hope and change, and his critics have tried to turn the vagueness of the “hope-y change-y” thing into targets of mockery.

His Tucson speech last night was certainly vague (consciously steering clear of any policy ideas that one might derive from the Tucson tragedy, which was a good choice for the occasion) but, although the word “change” wasn’t uttered, the speech was mostly about hope, especially hope for our children’s future, and change, mostly change from the current poisonous partisan climate and the perpetual war of words. At least that’s what I heard. I hope both parties and even some radio and TV personalities respond to it positively.

It was generous of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ family to permit the president to deliver the good news that she has opened her eyes for the first time since the shooting, and that became a major highlight of the speech.

James Fallows of the Atlantic, who is not only one of the great magazine journalists of the generation but also a former presidential speechwriter, gave the speech a rave, and ranked it as one of Obama’s three best. I wasn’t as taken with it as Fallows. It was a bit too religious for me, too many references to scripture, and too much time spent on the victim-by-victim, hero-by-hero celebration. But that’s just me.

The heart of the speech was a plea for a more civil public tone, and Obama modeled the tone — by refusing to join the blame-Repub-rhetoric for the shooter — even as he asked for it from others:

“If, as has been discussed in recent days, their death helps usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy — it did not — but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.”

I fear there are many in our current political culture for whom the constant bloodsport rhetoric has become fun. I know there are many for whom that rhetoric is the turnoff, and it has driven them out of the political culture. If there was magic in the speech, it will have to reach those who have been shocked by the moment into wanting a bloodsport truce, or those who will at least give Obama credit for seeking one.

After the past two years, it is almost touching to believe that Obama still thinks America is still seeking a voice of calm, hopeful reason, steeped in respect for differing points of view.

The heart of it for me was this passage:

“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do — it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.

"Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, ‘When I looked for light, then came darkness.’  Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.

"For the truth is none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack.  None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man’s mind.  Yes, we have to examine all the facts behind this tragedy.  We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence.  We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of such violence in the future.  But what we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other.  That we cannot do. That we cannot do.

"As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility.  Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together. 

"After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family — especially if the loss is unexpected.  We’re shaken out of our routines.  We’re forced to look inward.  We reflect on the past:  Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder.  Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices that they made for us?  Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in a while but every single day?

"So sudden loss causes us to look backward — but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us.

"We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives.  Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order.

"We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame — but rather, how well we have loved — and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. 

"And that process — that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions — that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.”

The full text, from the White House website, is here.

A video of the speech, via PBS, is here.

What think?