My California: The Alpha State newspaper column today is about how in the days following September 11th President Bush was able to galvanize our nation and in some way, the entire world. Unfortunately for the president and the nation, this was the high point of his presidency, not the beginning. President Bush has proved unable to articulate his positions, motivate Americans and lead a nation. I discuss how many of his predecessors, leaders of our country and the free world, were able to seize a moment that crystallized an idea and motivated a nation – or the world – to change. These were galvanizing moments, the men permanently tied to the result, forever entwined in history and our minds.

I also encourage you to listen to this week’s California: The Alpha State radio interview as I discuss race in America with Ward Connerly, former member of the UC Board of Regents, father of Prop 209 and founder of the American Civil Rights Institute. Ward is an outspoken advocate of equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race, sex, or ethnic background and his comments are candid, thoughtful and important.

Each week I do a second column, column, This Week in Politics and Policy , with a quick overview of what’s happened in the state in the past week. I also do a radio version , which you might enjoy.