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Germany's Der Spiegel Mistakenly Publishes Bush Sr. Obit

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Der Spiegel news weekly in Germany mistakenly published an obituary Sunday for former President George H.W. Bush, written by the New York correspondent for the magazine.

Bush, 88, was hospitalized on Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care at the Houston hospital on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever, but was returned to a regular hospital room Saturday as his condition improved.

The unfinished obituary appeared on the Der Spiegel Web site for only a few minutes Sunday, before it was spotted by Internet users and removed.

In it, the magazine's New York correspondent described Bush as "a colorless politician" whose image only improved when it was compared to the later presidency of his son, George W. Bush.

On its Web site Sunday afternoon, Der Spiegel wrote that the German-language obituary was published "due to a technical problem."

"We would like to sincerely apologize for the error and would like to ensure our readers that we are working to ensure that the problem does not recur," the site said.

The magazine added on its Twitter feed: ``All newsrooms prepare obituaries for selected figures. The fact that the one for Bush senior went live was a technical mistake. Sorry!"

What do you think about the mistake? Please leave your comments below...

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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