Sparked by the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a new National Institute for Civil Discourse has been established in Arizona by local leaders interested in repairing the corrosive nature of public debate in America.

As honorary chairmen, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton will oversee the institute, which named as its first priority to create a document of "best practices" for political discourse. Former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor and former Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) will serve as honorary co-chairmen. Board members will include former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright; Kenneth M. Duberstein, chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan; Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren; Trey Grayson, director of Harvard University's Institute of Politics; and former representative Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.).

The institute is housed in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona, and can be reached at their website — nicd.arizona.edu.

(READ two articles from the Washington Post or today's edition of CS Monitor)