Just back from a very successful and rewarding trip to Arizona and membr station KJZZ (Tempe), meeting both the talented journalists at KJZZ and the generous donors who understand the importance of public radio.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone at the station who made the trip a success: Aaron Pratt, Lou Stanley and station manager Jim Paluzzi. I was especially impressed with Jim's vision for KJZZ and its potential for unprecedented growth.

It was also great meeting reporters Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez, who knows more about Chicago politics, her hometown, than anyone I've ever met (and whose infectious laugh can still be heard some 2,329 miles away), as well as Steve Goldstein and Mark Brodie, who MC'd our big event on Saturday night that drew hundreds of thousands (or fewer) folks to hear my presentation.

Saturday night's event ended the way the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation begins every Wednesday: with a trivia question and with a Junkie t-shirt going to the person with the first correct answer.

No one was able to answer the tougher question: What do former Arizona Gov. Jack Williams and Fidel Castro have in common? The answer (which Steve Goldstein insists he knew): they were both succeeded by Raul Castro. (P.S. No relation between ex-Gov. Castro, who in 1974 was elected as Arizona's first Latino governor, and Fidel's brother Raul who succeeded the Cuban dictator last year.)

But the second question — who was the last Arizonan who served as both governor and senator — was correctly answered by Mark Dioguardi, who sponsored our Friday night dinner and who is a major donor to KJZZ. The answer: Paul Fannin (R), elected governor in 1958 and senator in 1964.

The weather was incredibly perfect, but so were the people and the great conversation. Thank you, KJZZ, for making this happen. For all my attempts at Yuma, I'm so glad I didn't make a Mesa things.