The tragedy in Tuscon is, rightly, permeating everything.

Every public event I've covered in the last 72 hours has either wound its way to a statement about lowering the political temperature in light of the shootings or featured a formal moment of silence to acknowledge Saturday's violence.

It definitely has that defining moment quality to it. And here, in my opinion, is the defining image, from some Pulitzer-worthy reporting in yesterday's NYT :

Five other victims remained in the hospital on Tuesday, including Suzi Hileman, who had taken 9-year-old Christina Green to the event Saturday. Ms. Hileman is expected to recover from at least three gunshot wounds and a shattered hip. The most difficult path ahead will be grappling with the emotions, and guilt, over Christina’s death, her husband, Bill Hileman, said Tuesday.

Several times in the last three days, Mr. Hileman said, his wife has screamed “Christina! Christina!” as though she were having a flashback. “She keeps talking about how they had this incredibly tight grip on each other” when the shots began, he said. “She told me that they were almost breaking each other’s hands.

Good God.