The president directly confronted the political debate that erupted after the rampage, urging people of all beliefs not to use the tragedy to turn on one another. He did not cast blame on Republicans or Democrats, but asked people to ?sharpen our instincts for empathy.?
It was one of the more powerful addresses that Mr. Obama has delivered as president, harnessing the emotion generated by the shock and loss from Saturday?s shootings to urge Americans ?to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.?
?At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do,? he said, ?it?s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.?
At an evening memorial service at the University of Arizona, the president led an overflow crowd in eulogizing the six people who died on Saturday and asked for prayers for the wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who the authorities say was the target of an assassination attempt.
He warned against ?simple explanations,? and spoke of the unknowability of the thoughts that ?lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man?s mind.? He suggested that the events should force individuals to look inward but also that they should prompt a collective response against reflexive ideological and social conflict.
While the tone and content were distinctly nonpolitical, there were clear political ramifications to the speech, giving Mr. Obama a chance, for an evening at least, to try to occupy a space outside of partisanship or agenda.
?If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let?s make sure it?s worthy of those we have lost,? Mr. Obama said. ?Let?s make sure it?s not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.?
As members of the House reconvened in Washington for the first time since the shooting, setting aside a partisan health care debate to honor the lives of the victims, the memorial service here took on the form of a national catharsis, including a presidential reading from the Book of Psalms. But thousands of students and others in the crowd cheered at several other points during Mr. Obama?s 32-minute address, which took on the feel of a rally dedicated to the Arizona victims.
?If, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse,? Mr. Obama said, ?let us remember that 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 our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud.?
The president spoke after stopping to visit Ms. Giffords in her hospital room. He said he was told that shortly after his visit, Ms. Giffords opened her eyes for the first time, a moment that was witnessed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York; Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California; and other lawmakers who were here to pay their respects.
?Gabby opened her eyes for the first time,? Mr. Obama announced to the crowd. ?Gabby opened her eyes!?
The scene inside McKale Memorial Arena was a mix of grief and celebration, where a capacity crowd of 14,000 gathered beneath championship banners for the University of Arizona Wildcats. The service, which was televised nationally on the major broadcast and cable news networks, gave the president an opportunity ? and burden ? to lead the nation in mourning during prime time.
Aides said Mr. Obama wrote much of the speech himself late Tuesday night at the White House. Laden with religion overtones, Mr. Obama seemed as though he was striking a preacher?s tone with a politician?s reverb.