President Barack Obama said Monday that the United States is still in shock about the shooting rampage in Arizona that has left a Democratic congresswoman fighting for her life, but he commended the courage of the people who responded on site, saying their actions reflect the "best of America."
The president told reporters that Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others injured on Saturday are still fighting to recover. He said he anticipated some type of national memorial that would allow the country to express its sense of loss.
The president said he also wanted to make sure that "out of this tragedy, we can come together as a stronger nation."
Speaking at the White House alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Obama's comments on the shooting's aftermath overshadowed his business with the visiting leader — just as essentially all of the official business in a rattled Washington has been pushed aside by grief about the events and questions about how to respond.
"In the coming days we're going to have a lot of time to reflect," the president said. "Right now the main thing we're doing is to offer our thoughts and prayers to those who've been impacted, making sure we're joining together and pulling together as a country."
Obama to go to Arizona Wednesday
By the end of the long day, Obama had secured plans to travel on Wednesday to Tucson, Arizona, to speak at a memorial service for the victims of the shooting rampage. White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said first lady Michelle Obama would also attend the service at the University of Arizona.
The president has already been in touch with family members of those shot and killed and is contact with Arizona officials and leaders of Congress.
Obama said he is reaching out to family members in his role not just as president, but also as a father.
Sarkozy said the French people were deeply moved and saddened by the tragedy.
The White House said Obama had called Gifford's husband, Mark Kelly, and the family of Christina Taylor Green, a 9-year-old girl killed in Saturday's shooting.
Obama made a point to commend the everyday citizens who, in the midst of a horrific scene, intervened to wrestle down the gunman and help those around them.
"Part of what I think that speaks to," Obama said, "is the best of America."
Capitol Hill stands still
Earlier Monday, a somber Obama led a moment of silence for a nation stunned by the attempted assassination against the congresswoman.
On a frigid Washington morning, the president and first lady Michelle Obama walked out of the White House to the sounding of a bell at 11 a.m. EST. Wearing overcoats, they stood next to each other on the South Lawn, each with their hands clasped, heads bowed and eyes closed.
The moment also was marked on the steps of the U.S. Capitol where hundreds of legislative aides stood, heads down in silence. And at the Supreme Court, the justices paused to reflect, too, between the two cases they were hearing.
House business this week, including a contentious but symbolic vote scheduled for Wednesday to repeal Obama's new health care law, has been postponed to focus on any necessary actions in the shooting aftermath. Instead, the House will vote this week on a resolution of support for Giffords and the other victims of the shootings.
"I traveled to Iraq with Gabby several years ago. We walked the streets of Baghdad together and did not face the violence she faced over the weekend in her own country," said Democratic Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, referring to Giffords by her nickname.
Connecticut Rep. John Larson, who heads the House Democratic Caucus, said that lawmakers will continue to have open sessions with their constituents, although they are likely to take more precautions.
At the Capitol, the chief law enforcement official in the House, Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood, and representatives from the Capitol police briefed congressional staff on the shooting. He counseled them on steps they should take to ensure the safety of lawmakers and their constituents.
Rep. urges re-thinking gun control
Amid the mourning, Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, a longtime advocate of gun control, said he would introduce legislation later this month to ban high-capacity ammunition clips. The measure would re-establish a prohibition that lapsed in 2004 on clips that feed more than 10 rounds at a time.
"The only reason to have 33 bullets loaded in a handgun is to kill a lot of people very quickly. These high-capacity clips simply should not be on the market," Lautenberg said in a statement.
As Washington's agenda adjusted, Obama postponed an economic trip to New York on Tuesday. The first lady, Michelle Obama, scrapped her own Tuesday event with business leaders until a more appropriate time.