Last Wednesday, iconic liberal commentator Molly Ivins died after a long battle with breast cancer. Widely respected, even by frequent target of her columns President Bush, Ivins was a class act who brought a needed wit and respectability to political commentary and satire.

Ivins, a "Texas original," as Bush called her, grew up in Houston and made her career in the strange world of Texas politics. Her reputation grew as someone who approached the political world with a fierce point of view and never fell into the character attacks and bullying so often seen in commentators today.

A former editor of hers said, "She could turn a phrase in such a way that a pretty hard-hitting point didn't hurt so bad." This is the essence of why Ivins was such an important observer: She made her views known forcefully but ultimately politely.

Her humor, raised and honed in Texas, also served this point. She was fond of nicknames, calling another famous nick-namer, President Bush, "Shrub," which was also the name of one of her best-selling books on his political career.

The ultimate sign of the credibility and respect of a critic is if his or her subjects, at the end of the day, look back at the critic with reverence. Ivins' political foes were warm and praising after her passing: can you imagine the same said of other mainstream commentators like Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter or Al Franken?

America and the world need more commentators the likes of Molly Ivins. Politics aside, a satirist who can wittily and forcefully smack a public official around with facts and anecdotes and still have their respect is remarkable and enviable. She was a guiding light for opinion journalism in this modern era of dirty and low-brow mud-slinging.

Molly Ivins showed us all that we can engage, or even attack, the ideas of our political adversaries and still do it with class. Her example will be missed; let us hope that more like her rise to the top.