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My sunny optimist self is pushing back against all the sad, bad news lately, so like it or not, I’m going to serve up some very, very good news to break up the flow. Beginning with the best news of all : Rep. Gabby Giffords stood up on her own yesterday, with help. Not only did she stand up to look at the mountains, but she scrolled through pictures on her husband’s iPhone, and may be moved to rehab in Houston as early as Friday . Ms. Giffords’s husband, Capt. Mark E. Kelly, a naval officer and astronaut who lives in Houston, said in the statement: “I am extremely hopeful at the signs of recovery that my wife has made since the shooting. The team of doctors and nurses at U.M.C. has stabilized her to the point of being ready to move to the rehabilitation phase. Their goal — and our goal — has been to provide Gabby with the best care possible.” Captain Kelly said the center in Houston had “a national reputation for treating serious penetrating brain injuries, and is also in a community where I have family and a strong support network.” To me, this is nothing short of a miracle. Less than 2 weeks after being shot, to stand on her own, to be nearly ready to move to the rehabilitation phase? Amazing. In other news, the Chinese pandas get to stay in Washington DC for five more years. This makes me happy. I love pandas. Joe Lieberman is officially gone in 2012 . Let the best liberal win that seat. In approval ratings-land, the honeymoon is over for congressional Republicans . Just 25 percent say that the Republicans in Congress will bring “the right kind of change” to the country. That’s compared with 42 percent who said that after Democrats took over the House in 2007, and 37 percent who said that after Republicans gained control in 1995. And attitudes about the Republican Party have declined, with 34 percent viewing the GOP positively and 40 percent negatively — down from its 38-37 percent favorable/unfavorable rating last month. By comparison, the Democratic Party’s fav/unfav in the current poll is 39-35 percent, up from its 37-41 percents score from last month. As the topper, the awesome news that Sarah Palin’s approval ratings are at an all-time low . Keep talkin’, Sarah. Here’s this wonderful tidbit for dessert. It seems that Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have been dropped from their usual slots on right wing hate radio in Philadelphia. That’s two Philly stations that have dropped Beck. Keep going…