Rarely before Doug Gansler?s initial appearance on the state?s political horizon have Maryland voters seen such a raw combination of unalloyed ambition, concrete achievement and potential for future public service.

Since firstbeing elected Montgomery County state?s attorney in 1998, the former federal prosecutor clearly has had his eyes on higher office, even as he has compiled an impressive record in Rockville of aggressive prosecution of gangs, drug dealers and, most notably, D.C. snipers Lee Boyd Malvo and John Muhammed.