Ann

Ann Richards died today at 73. She died of cancer.

Reading CNN's story about her, there was this gem:

Richards rose to the governorship with a come-from-behind victory over millionaire cowboy Clayton Williams in 1990. She cracked a half-century male grip on the governor's mansion and celebrated by holding up a T-shirt that showed the state Capitol and read: "A woman's place is in the dome."

I was a little young to appreciate her politics, but I always liked her style. Of course, I remember the "born with a silver foot in his mouth" line, but mostly I remember how she seemed to represent something that you didn't see in politics. Even if you hated her, you were positive she wasn't lying to you.

Republicans had a begrudging respect for her. I'll be the most common reaction in my homestate to the news tonight is a sort of wry grin, a shaking head and a, "she really was quite something, wasn't she?"

She was a rarity in this state. There was a time that only Democrats could get elected in Texas, and her governorship really marked the end of that era. It's easy to forget that it was only 20 years ago that my state WASN'T run by fundamentalists or the Bushes (or some combination of the two).

She's the kind of person that would be welcome in the debate, today. She will be missed.