"Like Momma said, If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
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First thoughts: A new chance for civility?

Does Saturday’s tragedy in Arizona offer a new chance for civility, or simply a pause? …

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg

*** A new chance for civility? President Obama called to change the way American politics is practiced when he ran for president. So, too, did John Boehner and House Republican leaders when they campaigned to take control of Congress. But those calls were drowned out by the usual political shouting, yelling, and threats. Tragically, however, the shooting Saturday at a congressional event in Arizona -- killing six and wounding 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) -- now has the real ability to do what these elected officials haven’t been able to do: usher in a more civil era in politics and, at a minimum, simply start a SERIOUS conversation about the awful tone. The Republican-led House has canceled all legislative activity this week, including the bill to repeal the health-care law. Obama, meanwhile, has called for a moment of silence today at 11:00 am ET and has postponed his Tuesday trip to Schenectady, NY. And at Boehner’s direction, Congress will also observe that moment of silence.

*** But will it all last? Yet National Journal’s Reinhard writes, “[W]hile the take-no-prisoners rhetoric may subside for a while, it’s unclear whether any political truce would last longer than the temporary cooling-off periods after Oklahoma City and 9-11. There's not much interest in kumbaya in a 24/7 media culture that thrives on the latest conflict. ‘I'm hoping that people would reflect on some of the language that they use and realize that honorable people can disagree, but I'm not optimistic,'’ said John Weaver, a Republican advisor to former presidential nominee John McCain. ‘We don't reflect on much of anything in this society.'â€