''Dean's Calif. visit reveals promises, pitfalls of his leadership''

"LOS ANGELES - How to explain the paradox that is Howard Dean? One part bulldog, one part philosopher king, the former presidential candidate and new Democratic Party chairman demonstrated in a speech to California Democrats Saturday that he still has the power to mesmerize party activists. But his trip was also marked by the kind of intemperate and controversial moments that remind people why he remains such a political lightning rod. At a sold out dinner speech at the state Democratic Party convention, Dean brought the audience to its feet with his full-throated denunciation of the Republican party. He also issued a heartfelt call for Democrats to be more open and inclusive of "red state" voters, and their economic and moral concerns. "We need to talk to those folks," Dean said. "We need not react to the differences of opinion about gay rights and things like that - it's a symptom. What is real is the fear, and we don't address it."-from the AP story Sunday.