by Former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton are again combining their efforts, this time for civil discourse. The Democrat and Republican have recently accepted their positions as honorary chairmen of the National institute for Civil Discourse which opens today in Tucson.The Arizona facility is nonpartisan and privately funded, and will serve as a center for discussions, research, policy and education in regards to civility in public discourse. Following the shooting of the state’s congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Tucson became more restless and disapproving of the political discourse in the US. It has since called for more civility. Meredith Hay of the Arizona University explained that while the shooting was not caused by public discourse, it “created a space for us to think about civil discourse.”This is not the first time that the two former presidents have joined forces. In 2005 they raised funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and in 2004 they led an effort to aid in the recovery from the tsunami that devastated South Asia.
