In recent weeks I've noticed a trend that I'm surprised no one has pointed out yet. Whenever former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. faces any kind of criticism or what might qualify as an "off-script" question, he seems to become genuinely enraged--disconnecting callers on his own radio show, lashing out a caller recently on WTOP, essentially yelling back at him that he would not hear this person out--because he didn't agree.

I rarely see this kind of behavior from Gov. Martin O'Malley. That is not to say he doesn't exhibit emotions. I've seen him genuinely moved when meeting with or even speaking over the radio to families who have been hit hard by this recession, and he always speaks to our hopes that the future will be stronger. We need that kind of empathy and restraint in our State House.

Sometimes I wonder how Mr. Ehrlich would have handled or might handle a future budget crisis. We don't need a governor whose visible rage prevents him from getting the best possible advice, or from being open to new ideas that may require a change in course (we saw how that leadership style played out over the first eight years of this decade). Nothing in Mr. Ehrlich's record as governor suggests he has ever attempted to reach out to his opposition to better govern our state. I hope that we don't return that closed-door mentality to our State House.

Does Mr. Ehrlich have the temperament to navigate our state out of the fiscal straits brought on by a global recession? I am doubtful. But our current governor, though imperfect, seems far more willing to make tough decisions that protect our priorities while keeping our outlook positive for a bright future.

Paul Johnston, Glen Burnie