Shuttle Scrubbed but Not the Obama-Giffords Meeting

The president meets with the wounded congresswoman--briefly.

By Aamer Madhani

Updated: April 29, 2011 | 6:23 p.m.
April 29, 2011 | 5:07 p.m.

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Astronaut Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations for Johnson Space Center, leads President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, as they view the front landing gear of Space Shuttle Atlantis as they take a tour of the NASA Orbiter Processing Facility in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

President Obama met with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. on Friday, a highly-anticipated visit with the Arizona lawmaker who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head she suffered during a shooting rampage in her home district in Tucson.

The president met with Giffords for about 10 minutes at Cape Canaveral, Fla., where he had travelled with his family on Friday to witness the launch of space shuttle Endeavour.

The mission chief, Mark Kelly, is Giffords's husband and the congresswoman had also travelled to Florida to watch the launch. The shuttle launch, however, was scrubbed today because of a mechanical problem.

Before meeting with Giffords, Obama warmly embraced Kelly, who gave the president an update on her recovery, according to a White House official.

“I bet you were hoping to see a rocket launch today," Kelly told Obama.

Obama responded, "We were hoping to see you."

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