Molly Ivins, R.I.P.

First, Ann Richards, now Molly Ivins, gone. One of the great old Texas liberals from when Texas liberal didn't sound like an oxymoron. Funny line from the NYT obit: she once said that Dallas was "the kind of town that would root for Goliath against David." So true.

My one Molly story: When we both worked at the Star-Telegram, I once rode in an elevator up to the newsroom with her. She didn't come to Fort Worth much, she usually worked out of her house in Austin, but she was in for some meeting. I remember being surprised to see her and how rumpled she look. She was a large woman wearing a blue dress with pantyhose that had a tear in them. You wouldn't think that this was a big-time national columnist, but if you have ever worked in a newsroom, you know there are lots of people who look like they assemble their wardrobe at Goodwill. But, no matter how disheveled she may have looked, she had a warm, friendly smile. We chatted for a half a minute on the elevator then went our separate ways. Thanks to my good friend, Mike Blackman, for hiring her. Cheers to another friend, Carolyn Bauman, for the beautiful photo above.

You can't ever get to know anyone by reading 20 column inches a couple of times a week, but you can get glimpse of their soul. Molly was a Texas original in the tradition of William Cowper Brann, smart as a whip and funny as hell, not afraid to try and hold the powerbrokers accountable (yes, that you we're talking about W) with her mix of reason and wit.