ALBERT R. Wynn isn't a mover and shaker in Congress and probably never will be. He spends most of his time and energy serving Prince George's County.
He's a pothole politician.
The 4th District congressman, fond of sports analogies, says he has "an all-court game," but his focus and his effectiveness clearly are at the constituent level.
As he nears the end of his fourth term, it's time for Mr. Wynn, who is 49, to step forward before he is permanently typecast as a local hero and national nobody -- unless he's content with that role.
Mr. Wynn is in position to do a lot more. He sits on two influential panels within the House Commerce Committee. Those assignments provide lofty perches that he could use to reach national stature. Sadly, he has chosen not to do so.
Why? Some theories exist:
He doesn't have the fire. He'd rather solve people's problems in his district than seek national prominence.
He struggles with a weight problem. Supporters think his heft is a handicap at a time when emphasis is placed -- unfairly -- on personal appearance.
He's distracted. He is going through his third marital breakup, and this time it's nasty. His estranged wife, Jessie, signed on as his Republican opponent's campaign chairwoman.
Even without distractions, it's hard to focus in Congress. Legislators juggle multiple tasks, dashing from one place to another.
On a recent morning, for example, Mr. Wynn divided his time between a news conference and two important committee hearings.
He attended a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the Russell Senate Office Building to support Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's bill on closing the "digital divide" separating black and white America.
Then he hustled a couple of blocks across the Capitol's grounds. His destination was a wood-paneled room in the Rayburn House Office Building, where his colleagues on the subcommittee on energy and power debated the initial spike in gas prices this year. Reporters and news cameras were perched near the 46-seat dais for the daylong hearing.
This was a place where a good sound bite could end up in print or on television.
Mr. Wynn never bit. He declined to join the rhetorical fray, choosing instead to sit quietly the brief time he was there.
After about 45 minutes, he ducked out.
His next stop was upstairs, for a hearing on the indecipherable array of charges associated with long-distance phone calls.
