Ben Cardin

IN THE END, it came down to a matter of desire. As Walter Mondale might have put it, Ben Cardin lacked the ''fire in the belly'' to run for governor.So Mr. Cardin, who loomed large over the gubernatorial race, will remain in Congress while others try to dislodge Gov. Parris N. Glendening.The Baltimore-area congressman acted according to form. A decade ago, he tried running for governor and withdrew after he realized it might be an ''iffy'' proposition. Ben Cardin is someone who doesn't like to take chances with his political career.

Ben Cardin can deal with anything except uncertainty.Polls show that the only thing wrong with our governor is that no one likes him. He is Merlin's Royal Family.RDOne of the photographers arrested in Paris was a Mr. Rat. Fact.The downfall of the governor of Arizona is a late hit from the savings and loan scandals of the 1980s and a true Maryland tragedy.Pub Date: 9/05/97

Now that Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has completed his torturous journey to non-candidacy, Maryland Democrats must endure yet another period of waiting and watching to see if someone else dares to challenge Gov. Parris N. Glendening."

DEMOCRATS IN Maryland are running scared, and for good reason. Voter registration since 1994 has been 2-1 Republican, their governor is dead-even in polls against the likely GOP nominee and they could suffer big losses in the state Senate next year.Even more troubling for Democrats is what could happen should Republican Ellen Sauerbrey become governor: She would control the redistricting process following the 2000 census.This could lead to Republican control of the state Senate, more GOP delegates and two more Maryland Republicans in Congress after the 2002 election.

I WISH BEN CARDIN would decide whether he's running for governor. Perhaps then the debate will turn to something more substantial than what Ben Cardin's going to do.But I doubt it. No matter who the candidates, no matter what the campaign, issue or event, our political discourse has been steadily devolving into little more than a game:Who's in? Who's out? If County Executive So-and-So runs, what will that mean for Sen. This-and-That? Sen. This-and That's polls have been pretty pitiful ever since that stadium vote; even if he can get past So-and-So in the primary, he might be too beaten up to win the general.

Eight days ago on the radio, I hear the voice of Ben Cardin, a sound which causes the brain to go numb. He is my congressman, as it happens, and he is also one of the smartest people in government, as everyone knows, but when it comes to expressing himself in public with his thoughtfulness and his caution, he has all the natural flair of a German jazz band.On this particular day, Jan. 6, Cardin was a guest on Marc Steiner's talk program on WJHU-FM. The subject was this Newt Gingrich, for whom the country as a whole has such contempt that the Democrats, at their last convention, took care to mention Gingrich more than they mentioned their own man, Clinton.

Ben Cardin hears the flattering talk wherever he goes these days.You're the one person who could do it, they tell him, the one Democrat with the stature and financial backing to withstand a rough party primary, defeat an incumbent Democratic governor and then beat the Republican.Wherever he goes, the five-term congressman finds another feverish recruiter who hopes he will challenge Gov. Parris N. Glendening, the weakened Democratic incumbent.Cardin and his wife, Myrna, listen and say they appreciate the kind remarks.

WHEN Republicans retained control of Congress on November 5, they did more than make life miserable for Bill Clinton: They altered the complexion of Maryland's 1998 gubernatorial election.Benjamin L. Cardin, the popular Baltimore-area congressman and veteran state leader, is now "definitely learning toward" a race for governor. That's a 180-degree turn. The reason can be summed up in two words: Newt Gingrich.Up until now, Mr. Cardin had expressed an eagerness to stay in Washington. He expected a Clinton victory and a return to Democratic control in the House.

Violent images do too much damageI am angry that a bomb went off in Olympic Park.I am angry that a violent movie was advertised on television between Olympic events.I am outraged that we are too oblivious to the impact TV and movie violence has on people in our society.We need to feed ourselves and our children images that affirm life, provide wholesome choices in times of stress and cultivate an awareness for caring for others and our planet.Linda SchatzMillers IslandGOP opponent hits Ben CardinThe silly season in political campaigns is starting early this year.

Ever since Sixth District Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett was elected in 1992, he has been marching to his own drummer. An avowed enemy of "big government," the Republican congressman consistently votes his principles rather than what might be politically popular.For example, he voted against extending federal unemployment benefits even though long-term joblessness is a persistent problem in his economically beleaguered Western Maryland district, which stretches from the western edge of the Baltimore metropolitan area to the Appalachian region.