Ann Richards has died of cancer

Just six months after being diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, former Texas governor Ann Richards has died. Richards, 73, died tonight at her home in Austin.

A raconteur of the type that Texas seems to breed (think Sarah Weddington), Richards was an advocate for women and minorities, and was known for her quick wit. A few years ago, she did a session at a YWCA in Manhattan that was shown on television, and you couldn't watch it without crying from laughter.

It was arguably Richards' wit, however, that gave us George W. Bush. At the 1988 Democratic National Convention, she gave a memorable keynote speech, during which she said of George H.W. Bush, "Poor George couldn't help his blunders. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." Apparently, this made the younger Bush so angry that he ran against her in the next gubernatorial election. No one expected him to win, and the word was that the Richards campaign didn't make a lot of effort to get the governor re-elected. What Bush did was to bring in the disgusting Karen Hughes, who set about doing a daily smear campaign on Richards, who then lost the election.

During her term as governor of Texas, Richards established the Texas State Lottery in order to fund public schools, brought about prison reform, streamlined state government, and helped revitalize the corporate infrastructure of the state.

Richards shared with the public her recovery from alcoholism and her battle with osteoperosis. She will be remembered as brave, caring, smart, and as sharp-tongued as they come. It's a sad day.