Molly Ivins, that wonderful, savage but witty writer about Texan culture and American politics, died on Wednesday of breast cancer at the age of 62. I've quoted her on one occasion in my blogs, and I really enjoyed reading "Shrub", her account (co-authored with Lou Dubose) of GW Bush's career prior to the 2000 Presidential election (which he lost, but was awarded anyway).

Many caustic articles from her syndicated column have appeared on-line over the years. There could hardly be a more fitting valedictory than her final column, published in the week commencing January 11, rejecting Bush's plan for a military surge in Iraq.

Obits that I have read so far include the Austin American-Statesman, New York Times, while her passing dominates the home page of the Texas Observer, where she was a contributor and editor for a time.

I'm sure there will be more tributes to a giant of American political commentary over the next few days, and I'd like to try and assemble a playlist of archival audio of the late Miss Ivins. In the meantime, here's an episode of Democracy Now from July 2004 in which she was interviewed about her book "Bushwhacked".