Governor Ann Richards, RIP

(by Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times)

I always liked Ann Richards, the former Democratic governor of Texas. Not only did she demonstrate that it is possible to be a Southerner, a liberal, a Democrat, and politically effective, but she had a great sense of humor, famously referring to George Bush Sr. as having been born "with a silver foot in his mouth." When someone said that Ann Richards was a woman with good sense of humor, they didn't mean that she laughed at your jokes--as too many men do--they meant that you laughed at her jokes.

As recent events have demonstraed, American politics can do worse than someone who says, "I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone.'''

Here's a great speech by the former governor.