Molly Ivins Dies of Cancer at 62
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James Joyner | Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
Humorist Molly Ivins has died of cancer. She was 62.
Best-selling author and columnist Molly Ivins, the sharp-witted liberal who skewered the political establishment and referred to President Bush as “Shrub,” died Wednesday after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 62. Ivins died at her home while in hospice care, said David Pasztor, managing editor of the Texas Observer, where Ivins was co-editor.
Ivins made a living poking fun at politicians, whether they were in her home state of Texas or the White House. She revealed in early 2006 that she was being treated for breast cancer for the third time.
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Her first newspaper job was in the complaint department of the Houston Chronicle. She worked her way up at the Chronicle, then went on to the Minneapolis Tribune, becoming the first woman police reporter in the city.
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She joined The New York Times in 1976, working first as a political reporter in New York and later as Rocky Mountain bureau chief. But Ivins’ use of salty language and her habit of going barefoot in the office were too much for the Times, said longtime friend Ben Sargent, editorial cartoonist with the Austin American-Statesman. “She was just like a force of nature,” Sargent said. “She was just always on and sharp and witty and funny and was one of a kind.”
Ivins returned to Texas as a columnist for the Dallas Times-Herald in 1982, and after it closed she spent nine years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In 2001, she went independent and wrote her column for Creators Syndicate.
Neither Ivins’ politics nor her sense of humor were my cup of tea. Regardless, she carved out a remarkable career in a field not particularly hospitable to women in her day. And 62 is far too young to die.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Molly gave 'shrub' his name.
Like 'Old Hickory' is to Andrew Jackson, 'shrub' is to Bush. It will forever be attached to Bush in the history books.
Uh, really? Who actually refers to him thusly?
If you cant say anything good...
She was a fine writer. Like James said 62 is too young to die. I disagreed with just about everything she said but respect is due and our prayers are deserved.
She was a hoot. TNR elaborates on the "salty language" at the Times:
Molly Ivins could have played in the league of the big boys. They invited her in, giving her a bureau chief job with the New York Times--which she wrote her way out of when she referred to a "community chicken-killing festival" in a small town as a "gang-pluck."
Thanks Bains. Perfectly put for a purrfect woman. Saved me the need to write derogator statements and then erase them.
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