VIDEO: In rare show of unity, Congress says goodbye to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Colleagues of Gabrielle Giffords, Republicans and Democrats alike, bade a fond farewell to the Arizona congresswoman who was shot, nearly killed, at an official event in Tucson last year.

Giffords, who has spent much of the last year relearning how to speak and walk, decided that she needed to focus her energy on her recovery, and it wasn't fair to her constituents to ask them to forgive her absence another year. So Wednesday, Giffords delivered a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, announcing her resignation from the House of Representatives. A tearful Boehner received the letter and embraced Giffords, who was helped to the top of the podium by her friend Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Florida.

A wave of applause greeted Giffords, the Washington Post reported. Members of both parties, in a rare display of partisan unity, offered tributes to Giffords and her service.

Giffords Resigns House Seat to Focus on Recovery
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