President Obama’s State of the Union Address was not the best or the worst we’ve heard, as far as his proposals go. But his tone was just right, and members of Congress responded the right way.

The evening was pretty much devoid of drama. Hallelujah! We’ve had enough of that in national politics to hold us for quite a while.

Instead, the president’s speech was practical and workmanlike, and it was received respectfully.

It’s understood by now that the cynical nastiness that passes for too much of the political conversation these days did not motivate the shooter who killed six people and gravely wounded a member of Congress and others in Arizona. But that tragedy hit a nerve in people who care about civility, and our leaders in Washington appear to be among those who care.

Amid the joking about “date night,” as members of Congress looked for a peer in the other political party to sit with for the speech, a serious point was made: These politicians are not enemies. They are colleagues who come at problems from different directions.

Washington has not become a model of civility overnight. Maybe it never will. But our leaders did send a good message to the rest of the country Tuesday night.

The political ugliness that now pervades the country started in Washington. Let’s hope its antidote will trickle down from D.C., too.

The (Canton) Repository