Gabby update

A friend of mine, Arizona Republic columnist E.J. Montini, has written the best assessment of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' medical condition to date. During a lengthy interview with Pia Carusone, the congresswoman's chief of staff, Montini asked, "Is Giffords ready to decide if she will return to Congress?" No. "Is she close?" No. Her verbal communications skills remain problematic, a source of great frustration for Giffords. Montini asked, what is the blunt assessment of Giffords, right now, five months after having been shot in the head? Carusone: "She's living. She's alive. But if she were to plateau today, and this was as far as she gets, it would not be nearly the quality of life she had before. There's no comparison. All that we can hope for is that she won't plateau today and that she'll keep going and that when she does plateau, it will be at a place far away from here." So do I, God willing. And I repeat my sincere hope a special place in Hell has been reserved for Jared Loughner, Gabby's shooter.