The syndicated columnist and best-selling author Molly Ivins passed away last night following a long bout with breast cancer. Her weekly column appeared in over 400 newspapers making her the most widely read progressive columnist in the country. [includes rush transcript]

The syndicated columnist and best-selling author Molly Ivins has died at the age of 62. She passed away last night in her home in Austin, Texas following a long bout with breast cancer. Her weekly column appeared in over 400 newspapers making her the most widely read progressive columnist in the country. The writer Harvey Wasserman wrote this about Molly Ivins: “If Mark Twain has a female counterpart on today’s political and journalistic scene, it is Molly Ivins. She has that miraculous ability to slice and dice an entire raft of political horse-dung with a single simple sentence, laced with wry, seeded with sweetness, and so often utterly cleansing and clarifying.’

Molly Ivins began her career in journalism at the complaint department of the Houston Chronicle. In 1970, she became co-editor of the Texas Observer. In 1976 she joined the New York Times. Six years later she returned to Texas to write. In recent years her work focused on fellow Texan, President Bush. With Lou Dubose she co-authored the books “Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush” and “Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush’s America.” Both became national bestsellers. Her most recent book was titled “Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I have Known.”

Molly Ivins was first diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and she continued to write despite her failing health. In a moment we will hear Molly Ivins in her own words but first we turn to the late Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas who also died of cancer. I recorded governor Richards after she was introduced by Molly Ivins at a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Texas Observer.

• Ann Richards.

Now we turn to Molly Ivins in her own words. In July of 2004 she appeared on Democracy Now. I asked her about President Bush and how she has known him since high school.

• Molly Ivins.

President Bush said in a statement: "Molly Ivins was a Texas original. I respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words, and her ability to turn a phrase. She fought her illness with that same passion. Her quick wit and commitment to her beliefs will be missed.”

In her final column Molly Ivins wrote: "We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell… We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

• "She Did Say That, Didn't She" - Highlights of Molly's Observer years and her recent columns, from the Texas Observer
• "To Which We Say" - Tributes from Molly's friends, colleagues, and occasional targets, from the Texas Observer
• "Photo Gallery of Molly" - from the Texas Observer