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Discussion Of Obama's Words at the Tucson Memorial Service; Words that Heal; President Answers to Heartbreak with Hope; New Evidence in Jared Loughner Case; Gibbs: "Violence is Never Acceptable"; Bringing Together the Left and the Right

Aired January 13, 2011 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Carol, thanks very much.

That flag you were just talking about, that those trucks are going to back into the church, is going to be the flag that was flying over -- it was -- that flag was sort of born on September 11, 2001. It was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, stitched back together seven years later by tornado survivors in Greensburg, Kansas. That's that significance of the flag that Carol was just talking about.

It's been on a tour across the United States leading up to the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which will be in September. It's been on display in small towns. It's flown over sort of cultural events and sporting events across the country. And it will eventually become part of the permanent collection of the National September 11th Memorial Museum, which is being built at the World Trade Center. But that is the significance of the flag that you are looking at there.

The scene is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona.

Two hours from now, a funeral mass will be said for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, born on September 11, 2001. What a remarkable life. She was born on that day and then she died in this tragedy on Saturday, killed in the rampage targeting US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, late Saturday.

That Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as Carol said, I've got an update on her condition. She is, and remains, in critical condition in a hospital, but every day since she underwent surgery for a bullet wound through her brain, the news has been getting better, and today's no different.

We just heard surgeons confirm a report, from no less than the President, that she's opening her eyes on her own. She's also moving both sides of her body. She's no longer under sedation. Doctors say they hope to get her out of bed as early as tomorrow. This is quite remarkable.

Last night the President said it in his speech. If you didn't hear his address last night at the memorial service, for the Tucson victims, you've probably heard about it. It turned out to be very different than what you might have expected. Some of you might have thought, well, it's a memorial service, it's a necessary thing, but it's not your thing to tune in to memorial services.

It turned into something entirely different. And we're going to talk a little bit about what it turned into, and why it's important. The President gave voice to the nation's pain. He gave comfort to the shattered families. And he gave common hope -- or hope for our common humanity. He spoke at a moment that nearly every president, at some point in their tenure, faces in their own personal way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the space shuttle "Challenger" honored us for the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved good- bye, and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WILLIAM CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One thing we owe those who have sacrificed is the duty to purge ourselves of the dark forces which gave rise to this evil.

They are forces that threaten our common peace, our freedom, our way of life. Let us teach our children that the god of comfort is also the god of righteousness. Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind. Justice will prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can hear you. I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us, we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: The her he's referring to is that 9-year-old girl whose funeral begins in two hours. A moving speech. I want to talk more about these defining moments that don't just define a president, but define who we are as we respond.

Joining me today, Roland Martin, author, commentator, and CNN Political Analyst, he comes to us via Skype from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Pete Dominick, a good friend, Sirius XM radio host, and a CNN contributor is in New York. Marc Thiessen is a "Washington Post" columnist, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, he's in Washington. Karen Tumulty is a national political reporter for the "Washington Post."

Thank you, to all of you, for being with us.

Marc, that clip that we just played of President Obama, I was, obviously, listening to the whole speech, but that's where it changed for me. So, a couple of things happened here. One is, that did not feel like a normal memorial service. It felt like something entirely different.

And, then, I saw what you wrote today, and you talked about how it was two speeches. I think you captured the essence of it. Describe to me, assuming that our viewers may not have seen all of that speech, and we'll play the parts of it, but assuming they haven't, describe to me what you mean when you say it was two speeches in one. You called it brilliant and courageous. Two separate speeches.

MARC THIESSEN, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON POST: Yes, absolutely. I think it was two separate speeches. The first half was a traditional memorial address, similar to the ones that President Bush gave in the cathedral after 9/11. President Clinton gave in Oklahoma City. And, I think, what he did there was very important because these stories of these individuals had been lost in this shameful debate that emerged after the -- after the -- almost immediately after the attacks.

And, so, he reclaimed the moment for them. And shined a light on them and told us the stories of these individuals -- the victims, and also the heroes who saved lives, and prevented it from being much worse. And, so, I thought it was an incredibly important speech.

And he could have stopped there as President Clinton had before him and other presidents have, but he went on and, essentially, gave another speech about our political discourse.

And I thought that speech was particularly courageous, because he gave a direct rebuke to people who are largely his supporters, people on the left who had been laying blame for this attack on Sarah Palin and on people on the right. And he said -- told them to stop pointing fingers, and to -- and we cannot know what caused this attack. And I thought that was a particularly courageous thing for the President to do in the wake of this -- in the wake of this tragedy.

VELSHI: All right, Mark, just so folks know, you don't make a habit of, necessarily, praising the President. So, you feel this wasn't about politics or about being a Democrat, so you just listened to the words at an important time. Roland, what did you take from if?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (via Skype): I think, first and foremost, we are losing the essence of what last night was about. It was not about President Obama. It was about the people in that city, and about this country.

As I've watched all of these folks out here comment, last night, frankly, I was embarrassed. It was souls (ph) listening. There was no sense of compassion. The people in that room made it clear, last night was a celebration of life. Celebration of the six people who died, but also those 12 survivors.

And the President talked about the (ph) woman who tackled the shooter, and held him down. And she held her hand up, and the crowd began to cheer. They were saying, look, we're going to celebrate life, we're going to celebrate freedom and democracy. And too many people, especially out of D.C., are trying to look at this speech through a political prism (ph). It was really about life.

And, so, I don't want to say the criticism of people who were applauding and folks said it should have been more somber. No, I'm used to people going to funeral home-going services where they celebrate those who passed away and not always in a mournful state. That's why I applaud the reaction last night by those INAUDIBLE.

VELSHI: And in your writing, you used the expression home-going services, that celebration where the end of life is a celebration of something else. But let's talk about the D.C. folks for a second. I want to go to Karen.

Karen, let me just play you something. Roland's critical in the fact that some of the discussion is too political. But the reality, in this country, is when there is gun violence and when there is massacres, a couple of things happen. We do talk about mental health, and we should. We do talk about gun laws, and we should. But in this particular case, it focused a beam on civility in politics, and the President picked up that mantle. Here's what he said about civility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: And 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Karen, on the face of it, you can't criticize the words he used, but what about whether that politicized an event that was either a home going or celebration of life, or memorial of death? Was that the right thing for the President to do at that point?

KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: Hey, look, the fact is, whether the President is standing behind a pulpit, a podium, or a bull horn, as we just saw in these clips, our system is such that whatever our political divisions, there is only one human being who is elected by this entire country to represent all of us. And that is the President of the United States. And that was really a message that only, I think, the President is in a position to deliver. And Barack Obama was walking sort of a narrow line here, in that he had to try to heal and unify without blaming. And he had to, essentially, extend a hand without pointing a finger. And that was a narrow line to walk. And I think he succeeded in that last night.

VELSHI: Pete Dominic, you didn't watch it from a perspective of whether there was politics involved or not. You like Barack Obama, and, by the way, I mean, a lot of people criticize him for not, sort of, showing the emotion that you might think he would show as a father of young girls, while talking about the death of a young girl, but you were watching it as a parent. You were watching it as an American.

PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Every single parent that heard about this tragedy thought about their own kids. I thought about my two daughters. You think about your kids being shot, for just a moment, because you have to get the idea, you have to get the image out of your head. The President, himself, is in danger. His kids are in danger. He spoke about that. And, as a parent, he spoke about as a son, you know, not spending enough time perhaps with his grandmother. He spoke about it in every role. He spoke about it as a husband. And I will -- you know, absolutely, he really personified that young girl and symbolized what she meant and what she could mean. I want to build on Roland's point. There has been criticism of the atmosphere, that it was too much of a pep rally. Black folks know how to celebrate death. I've been to a black funeral. It's a party. And that's how I would want my death to be celebrated, to have a party, celebrate the good things. I don't want the organs, I don't want all the flowers. You can drink, you can prop me up with a thumbs-up and celebrate my life. That is how a lot of people think life can be celebrated. And I liked that atmosphere last night. I thought it was different, and, maybe, untraditional to some people, but I thought it was unique and special. And I really appreciated it.

VELSHI: You all hold on there, because we want to talk a little bit more about both that celebration and that memorial and the victims. But the reality of whether or not it inches us further as a country in our civil discourse. I want to play you a little bit more about what the President said. I, then, also, want to hear from you. I've been collecting your comments on my blog, on Twitter, Facebook. I'm still doing it. Keep responding. It's a great discussion. Stay with me. I'm coming right back. This is an important discussion and I want you to be part of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: OK. I want to show you some of the newspapers, front pages of certain newspapers, across the country today about last night's memorial. Front page, obviously, of the "Arizona Daily Star." President embracing Gabrielle Giffords' husband. And it says, President says Giffords has opened her eyes for the first time. And, then, later down the page -- further down the page it says, healing words of President a bomb to the brokenhearted, so that's how the "Arizona Daily Star" is looking at it.

The "Washington Post," again, a picture of the President in the audience with the first lady, and the intern who intervened to try and help Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. But the headline says, Obama calls for healing, not blame. That's how the "Washington Post" sees it.

The "USA Today" has, again, a picture of the President embracing Mark Kelly, the husband of Gabrielle Giffords, quoting the President from his comments, Obama, our hearts are broken. The President calls for a civil discourse.

"The New York Times" almost went a little smaller on it. They, certainly, have the same picture from a different angle of President Obama and Mark Kelly. It does say, however, Obama calls Americans to a new era of civility, and then it's got a picture of Sarah Palin referring to her comments earlier in the week about this whole issue.

I want to reintroduce my panel to you. Some great people here to discuss the importance of how this was conducted.

Roland Martin joins us from -- via Skype from Silver Springs, Maryland. He is a CNN political analyst. Pete Dominick, a CNN contributor, in New York. Marc Thiessen, former Bush speechwriter, by the way, and a columnist for "The Washington Post" in Washington. Karen Tumulty, in Washington post -- in Washington. She's a "Washington Post" political reporter.

Karen, on the point that you made, and the point that Pete was making, I want to listen to the president's comments on Christina, the girl who's being buried in less than two hours.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Christina was given to us on September 11, 2001. One of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called "Faces Of Hope." On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child's life. I hope you help those in need, read one. I hope you know all the words to the national anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: OK. And I'm showing you a picture of that fire truck that is bringing that remarkable flag that was taken down in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the very day Christina Green was born. That flag is coming out and is going to fly over the funeral for Christina Green, which begins at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Marc Thiessen, I want to ask you, we often talk at times like this about how we all come together and party doesn't matter and things like that. But the reality is, as this passes, party will matter and we will not come together. So these are rare opportunities, and I hate to couch them as opportunities, but when tragedy strikes, it is an opportunity for the president to put a message out there that isn't otherwise out there. Was he provoked to do so by Sarah Palin's comments? Was he provoked to do so by people who said that Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are responsible for an environment in which people shoot politicians? Was he provoked to do so by his own thoughts? What do you think, having been a speechwriter? MARC THIESSEN, "WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST: I think that clearly the middle one you said, the critics who had come out and started pointing blame at this. I mean almost within an hour of the shooting, the founder of "The Daily Cause" had put out a tweet that said, "mission accomplished, Sarah Palin." Paul Krugman, at "The New York Times," within three hours had put up a column on "The New York Times" post blaming this on the Tea Party. All these people came out with -- to -- and what was amazing about this event was that within hours, so many people felt free to politicize this and to try and make political -- score political points as a result of it.

And what President Obama did last night is he reclaimed this moment for the victims. He reclaimed this moment for the heroes. He told people to stop pointing fingers, to stop making political hay out of this, and focus on the people who had died and on the people who are trying to heal. And he healed our country.

You know, when you're -- and presidents give certain types of speeches in their presidencies. They give Oval Office addresses, convention speeches, States of the Union, and in all of those they're very political speeches in a lot of ways. A memorial speech like this is a moment when everybody in the country wants to unite and is looking to the president, wants to support him, and he united the country last night. It was a brilliant speech.

VELSHI: I've asked my viewers to post things on Facebook and Twitter. Let me give you some of the comments, some of the things that they've actually said to me. The response, by the way, was overwhelmingly in support of what the president says.

Nick wrote, "I think it's up there with Reagan's Challenger speech, Clinton at Oklahoma City, Bush at the National Cathedral. It could be a turning point for his presidency, much like Clinton after Oklahoma City."

Jeremy posted, "leaving the atmosphere out of it, it showed a reality that presidents work best as uniters and not dividers."

Brent replied, "it was his finest moment as president. A clear unifying message. The arena-setting can be debated, but it does reflect our society."

Marie writes, "brilliant, heart-felt, proud of my president."

Let's go through some of the Facebook comments.

Cheryl says, "I think President Obama's speech was brilliant, hopeful and reminded me of why we elected him in the first place. I could literally feel the love and unity of us as a country when everyone began to stand and cheer."

Laura says, "I thought it was deeply spiritual, comforting, and uniting and transcended the pettiness of politics. He looked and sounded like a leader, the leader of the whole country, not just those who agree with him. He made his constant detractors look small."

David writes, "best speech of his presidency. He handled this horrible tragedy with grace and class."

And Danny says, "the president did exactly what he should have, stayed above the fray of petty politics, memorialized those whose lives were lost and challenged the nation to transform itself."

In the end, Roland, whether there was politics involved in this or not, it does sound like people who were watching it, at least people who were watching it who have been talking to me, and, as you know, like you, my Twitter followers and Facebook followers are not all fans of me and they certainly are not all fans of the Democratic Party or the president, it does seem that he achieved something and hit the right note with his comments.

Roland.

PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, Ali, let me -- can I jump in? You're having problems with Roland. Can we hear him?

VELSHI: Yes, I think there might be a delay or he's just standing there with no expression, which would be very unlike Roland. So you go ahead, Pete.

DOMINICK: Yes, can I just say that the -- you know, we can't agree on what causes the problems, much less what the solutions are in this country so often. And the president's job last night was to unify us.

I've never agreed with anything that Marc Thiessen, my co- panelist here, has ever said. What he just said, just now, I completely agree with it. I'm totally unified with Marc Thiessen. The president said something last night -- he always gives something to liberals, to conservatives. Last night he gave two quotes from scripture to people of religion. I'm not particularly religious, but you look at that Arizona newspaper and that headline, that (INAUDIBLE) quote, which is my Facebook status. He said, last night we recognize our own mortality and we are reminded in the fleeting time that we have on earth, what matters is not wealth, not status, not power, but rather how well we loved. Ali Velshi, that's in -- I could not -- it's so intensely laser focus on my personal beliefs on what life is about. And I've so appreciated that comment.

VELSHI: Final word to you, Karen. Does any of the value of this carry beyond these memorial services and the recent memory of this tragedy?

KAREN TUMULTY, "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTER: Well, I was struck by one of your -- the comments that you got comparing this to Oklahoma City. That was a moment -- and that was a much more overtly political act than this. But that was a moment where Bill Clinton did, in fact, sort of reclaim his presidency after a -- in a moment very much like this, after a bad election for him. But seven months later, the government was shut down, all of the rancor had returned. You know, I think if there is any political benefit, if there is any sort of, you know, cessation of the vitriol, unfortunately, I think it's going to be temporary. VELSHI: All right, thank you to all of you. We'll continue -- I appreciate the civility with which we've been able to have this discussion. A very important discussion. Roland Martin, we'll always get a chance to talk to him some more. He's our political analyst in Silver Spring, Maryland. He needs to fix his Skype. Pete Dominick, our CNN contributor in New York. Karen Tumulty and Marc Thiessen, both involved with "The Washington Post." Thank you for being with us today and having this discussion with us.

THIESSEN: Take care, Ali.

VELSHI: All right, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to follow that weather that continues to hamper us across the country. We've got a lot of news for you as well. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: There are still plenty of problems lingering from the storms that we've seen across the country this week, first in the Southeast and then in the north part of the country. Let's go over to the severe weather center. Chad has been watching it.

I still see a map with that dark purple, which tells me snow.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The snow's over, but these are the totals.

VELSHI: Wow.

MYERS: Look at that. Wilmington, up in Vermont, 36 inches of snow. I don't care if that's powder or anything, that's still three feet.

VELSHI: That's a lot of snow.

MYERS: That's bigger than a golden retriever. That's up there. And they are still digging out from that. It's part of a coastal low that spun around. We can call it a kind of a nor'easter, but it didn't come up from the southeast, like it wants to come up this way. We'll have more on this coming up in the 2:00 hour, Ali.

VELSHI: All right, Chad, thanks very much.

I want to go back to Tucson, Arizona, to the church where we are expecting the funeral to begin in about an hour and a half of Christina Green. That is the flag. Let me tell you about that flag. That's the national 9/11 flag. It will be flying over the funeral today. It was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. It was stitched together seven years later in Greenberg, Kansas. Many people consider this to be sort of the modern-day version of the star-spangled banner. The flag that survived an onslaught.

This flag is currently on tour across the United States leading up to the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It's been to small towns, major cultural events, sporting events. It's eventually going to become part of the permanent collection of the National 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is being built at the World Trade Center.

So where this is, it's being delivered to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona, which is where Christina Green will be buried -- or at least the funeral will take place for Christina Green in an hour and a half. Christina Green was born on September 11, 2001.

Let's listen in.

(TUCSON MEMORIAL COVERAGE)

VELSHI: I just want to tell you, if you're just tuning in, I'm just letting you hear the sounds of what's going on at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona, where the funeral of Christina Taylor Green will be held in about an hour and a half, at about 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

What they are doing is taking out the flag. This is the 9/11, the national 9/11 flag which will fly over the funeral. The flag was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. It was then stitched together, parts of it were stitched together by tornado survivors in Greensburg, Kansas, seven years later. And a lot of people think of it symbolically as a modern-day version of the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that survived the attack.

Currently on tour across the United States, this flag is leading up to the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It's been on display in small towns, it's flown over major cultural and sporting events across the country, and it will become part of the permanent collection of the National September 11th Memorial Museum being built at the World Trade Center.

Obviously it has been brought to Arizona now to fly over the funeral mass for nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. You probably know this by now, it's been said many times, but it doesn't escape irony that she was born -- she was one of the children born on September 11th, 2001. She was invoked heavily in President Obama's comments -- his remarks at the memorial service last night in Tucson.

(TUCSON MEMORIAL COVERAGE)

VELSHI: And there you have it, that is the National 9/11 flag. Quite a remarkable flag that you're looking at. It was a flag that flew over the World Trade Center. It came down on September 11, 2001, the very day Christina Green, whose picture you see in the corner of the screen, the very day she was born. She died Saturday in the rampage in Tucson.

The flag was heavily damaged, so what happened is tornado survivors in Greenburg, Kansas, patched it together and it's now on tour across America, ending up on September 11, 2011, 10 years after the attacks at the National September 11th Memorial Museum.

It has been taken to Arizona right now and it is being -- as you see -- displayed there at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona, where a funeral mass -- a Catholic funeral mass will be set for nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green in about one hour and twenty minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: OK, as we've been watching that flag being unfurled in Tucson, Arizona, leading up to the funeral mass for Christina Green. There have been a number of pieces of news I want to bring you up to speed on.

Number one, as you know, Gabrielle Giffords' husband is NASA Commander Mark Kelly. He's a naval officer. NASA has just announced that obviously as he takes time to help his wife rehabilitate, they will have a backup astronaut. Rick Sturckow, will serve as a backup commander for the space shuttle mission he was involved in to facilitate training for the crew and the support teams. While Mark Kelly is off tending to his wife, Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Rick Sturckow will fill in for him at NASA.

The second piece of information is that police have told us that they have finished processing the crime scene. This was a very involved crime scene outside of that Safeway in Tucson, Arizona. They have completed their processing of that crime scene. However, more information has been discovered.

Two things I want to tell you about. The first one is that the suspect's father, Jared Loughner's father had said that he'd seen his son with a black bag the morning of the attack and he had gone after him. He couldn't find it. Apparently that black bag has been found. According to the police. A black bag was reported found in a wash, a dried riverbed. A man turned it over to a neighbor who called police and police are looking into it right now.

It is also -- more information we're getting in as well is a law enforcement official has said that Jared Loughner got a room at a Motel 6 not far from his home the night before the shooting. Apparently he drove a family vehicle there, but he was in and out of the room. Loughner went back to his home, also to a couple of Wal- Mart stores, we know that's where he went to get ammunition.

And the official said that he was turned down. This is information we had, he was turned down at the first Wal-Mart store where he tried to buy ammunition clips, he was successful at another Wal-Mart.

We're going to take a break. We'll keep on following this story for you. Oh, we're not going to take a break actually. We'll keep on following the developments at the St. Ann Church, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Tucson, where Christina Green is going to be memorialized in about an hour and 15 minutes.

But let's go to the White House where our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, is standing by.

Ed, this issue reverberates everywhere and it had a very strange reverberation in the White House, the daily press briefing with the press secretary, Robert Gibbs. Something very unusual happened in the briefing today. Tell us about it.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I've never seen it in the maybe about seven years covering this beat. It was almost like we were back in the Cold War. I was waiting for someone to throw a shoe down maybe on a table.

There was a Russian reporter who was challenging Robert Gibbs in the briefing. Obviously, the big subject was the president's speech last night in Tucson and the tragedy that is still pretty raw for a lot of people around the country, and a lot of people here at the White House, frankly.

And this Russian reporter, Andrei Sitov of the Tass News Agency was basically saying, look, you know, isn't this America. This is very American, that you have freedoms, but that you also have this heinous violence. And Robert Gibbs took umbrage to that.

Take a listen just to this quick exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREI SITOV, ITAR-TASS NEWS AGENCY: This is America. The democracy of the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition your government. And many people outside would also say, and they, quote unquote, "freedom over deranged mind, to the act in a violent way is also American."

How do you respond to that?

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, no. I would disagree vehemently with that. There are -- there's nothing in the values of our country, there's nothing on the many laws on our books that would provide for somebody to impugn and impede on the very freedoms that you began with, by exercising the actions that that individual took on that day. That is -- that is not America. I think there's agreement on all sides of the political spectrum, violence is never, ever acceptable.

We had people that died. We had people whose lives will be changed forever because of the deranged actions of a madman. Those are not American. Those are not in keeping with the important bedrock values by which this country was founded, and by which its citizens live each and every day of their lives, in hopes of something better for those that are here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: You can see Robert Gibbs very emotional there.

I spoke to Andrei Sitov after the briefing and he basically said, look, first of all, he wants to make clear that he has strong feelings, and wants to pass on condolences to all the victims' families, et cetera. And secondly, he said, look, all he believes he's saying with the freedoms and good things of freedom in America, comes some bad things as well.

Now, you know, just cold-hearted, straightforward fact, sure, that's true. But a few days after this tragedy, you can imagine there were not just White House aides in that room, but reporters as well thinking this was a little bit of out of left field to say the least, Ali.

VELSHI: Although, freedom of speech didn't cut anybody down. Guns cut somebody down. Did he have something to say about that?

HENRY: No, he did not. And you know, what's interesting is obviously, I can tell you a lot of reporters were turning around and saying, what in the world are you talking about? But nobody cut him off either, because we do have freedom of speech here. And even though it was a lot of -- a sentiment a lot of people agreed with, you know, Robert Gibbs took the question, he answered it and said thank you very much and turned and left, and the briefing was over.

VELSHI: Do you think that briefing would have gone on if that question weren't asked?

HENRY: I think it would have gone on a little bit longer, because Robert Gibbs goes a little bit further in the room than where Andrei Sitov was sitting. He usually takes a few more questions.

So it was very clear that Robert Gibbs kind of cut it off at that point also, because in that answer he went a lot further, prompted by that question, angered by that question, by saying, look, this was the deranged actions of a madman.

That's not the kind of thing Robert Gibbs wants to say from the podium. Earlier, he had said there was an investigation, not going to comment on the shooter. He was prompted by that question, which obviously got him a little peeved.

VELSHI: Ed, good to see you as always. Thanks very much.

HENRY: Good to see you.

VELSHI: Ed Henry, senior White House correspondent at "The Stakeout" at the White House.

All right, this is an idea that could bring Democrats and together in Washington. It's part of our "Big I," it's a little different than what we normally do, right after this.

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VELSHI: Normally on the show at this time every day, we bring you the "Big I" it's usually about big new ideas and innovations in science, medicine, technology. Big scalable ideas, things that can be used elsewhere. Well, today is no exception, but we've got a different spin on it today. The Arizona shooting tragedy has prompted some people in Congress to propose a big idea of their own. Now normally, at the State of the Union Address, which is in about a week and a half, Republicans and Democrats sit separately from each other, creating a party line divide. You always know that because you can see one side standing up and giving the president the standing ovation, the other side often doesn't.

Well, today, Colorado Democratic Senator Mark Udall released a letter proposing that members of both political parties sit next to each other this year. I think we mean intertwined.

The idea was first announced in a letter by a moderate political think tank called "Third Way." According to "The Atlantic," Senator Udall is an honorary co-chair of the Third Way. Check this out, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in Arizona, is also an honorary co-chair along with Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Representative Jane Harman of California. All of them are Democrats.

And in honor of what Senator Udall is proposing, we want to read his letter in its entirety. So here it goes.

"Dear Majority Leader Reid, Speaker Boehner, Minority Leaders McConnell and Pelosi:

"We, the undersigned members of Congress, believe that partisan seating arrangements at State of the Union addresses serve to symbolize division instead of the common challenges we face in securing a strong future of the United States.

"As we all know, the tenor and debate surrounding our politics has grown ever more corrosive - ignoring the fact that while we may take different positions, we all have the same interests. This departure from statesmanship and collegiality is fueled, in part, by continuous campaigns and divisive rhetoric. Political differences will always generate a healthy debate, but over time the dialogue has become more hateful and at times violent. But now the opportunity before us is to bring civility back to politics. It is important to show the nation that the most powerful deliberative bodies in the world can debate our differences with respect, honor and civility. It is not only possible, but it is something that nearly all members of Congress truly desire. To that end, we should set a small, but important, new tradition in American politics.

"At the State of the Union address on January 25th, instead of sitting in our usual partisan divide, let us agree to have Democrats and Republicans sitting side by side throughout the chamber. Beyond custom, there is no rule or reason that on this night we should emphasize divided government, separated by party, instead of being seen united as a country. The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution. And the message that is sends is that even on a night when the President is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.

"On the night of the State of the Union address, House and Senate members from both parties ought to cross the aisle and sit together. As the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans should reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps, by sitting with each other for one night, we will begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good."

That's the letter. I've posted it on my Facebook page and received several of your responses, Here are a sampling of them.

The first one from Pamela who says, "It's an excellent idea. I've always thought it seemed juvenile to divide up the way that they do."

Darla says, "Is this like kindergarten where we had a boy, girl, boy, girl seating chart? Too bad they have to have it proposed before they even consider it."

Sean says, "I think it's a fantastic idea and long overdue."

Lynn says, "What difference will it make? The Republicans will scowl and cross their arms and the Democrats will scream and applaud loudly, and that's the way the system is designed to work. I think that acting like all is sweetness and light and harmony and love for show is bogus. As long as everyone is reasonably polite, I don't care where they'd sit and I'd rather see where everyone stands."

To read the letter for yourself, head to my blog, CNN.com/Ali, head to my Facebook page. You can comment on it there. I'm enjoying all of your comments and your tweets, so keep them coming.

We'll be right back.

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