Good Golly, Miss Molly

In her column this week, Molly Ivins, who along with our local liberal, Rosemary Roberts, drives many a conservative to write a letter to the editor of Greensboro's News & Record, has issued an apology to her readers: . . .

This is a horror. In a column written June 28, I asserted that more Iraqis (civilians) had now been killed in this war than had been killed by Saddam Hussein over his 24-year rule. WRONG. Really, really wrong.

The only problem is figuring out by how large a factor I was wrong. . . .

There have been estimates as high as 1 million civilians killed by Saddam, though most agree on the 300,000 to 400,000 range, making my comparison to 20,000 civilian dead in this war pathetically wrong.

I was certainly under no illusions regarding Saddam Hussein, whom I have opposed through human rights work for decades. My sincere apologies. It is unforgivable of me not have checked. I am so sorry.

I admire her for her willingness to publicly admit her mistake.

Hat tip to Matt Drudge at Drudge Report via Susan OIasky at World Magazine Blog.