Campaign Trail

Was that a State of the Union address or was it President Barack Obama's first big campaign speech of 2012? It certainly sounded like the latter, but given the state of Washington, what else could we expect? His opening lines, a tribute to the soldiers who returned home from Iraq, was a reminder of a promise kept from his first campaign - and it was followed by a reference to the killing of Osama bin Laden under his watch, and that by a dig at how little has been accomplished by a deeply divided Congress.

1. A team that's been plagued all year by inconsistency may, after Thursday night, have finally sharpened its focus for good. If we've learned anything about the Ravens this year, it's that it's dangerous to make any kind of definitive statements about them after wins or losses. Just when you're ready celebrate their dominance, they regress. And just when you're ready to write them off as serious contenders, they shine. So I'm fully aware that what I'm about to say has a very real chance of looking ridiculous if they saunter into Cleveland 10 days from now and stumble against one of the NFL's worst teams.

The race for the Republican presidential nomination turned nasty this week, as Mitt Romney's former hairstylist, Francois Lockes, accused the GOP front-runner of using hair color to grey his temples. "Monsieur Romney est inauthentique," Mr. Lockes, a French citizen, told reporters. "Le candidat would shave his head pour un vote!" The Romney campaign denied the accusation. "Frank the barber is a disgruntled former employee who was fired for trying to spike Mitt's chamomile tea with caffeine," said a Romney spokesperson.

Bluer than Democrat-rich Baltimore! Able to distract morning commuters with a single wave! Look! On the street corner with Jody Landers! It's actual fun in this year's mayoral campaign! Blue Man, a mysterious figure in a full-body Spandex suit, has swooped in from who-knows-where to help former City Councilman Joseph T. "Jody" Landers with his weekday morning car waves. There's no telling if the seeming superhero can help Landers in September's Democratic primary, but he has already succeeded in injecting some zip into an otherwise snoozy race.

Last week after "sting" video surfaced of counselors at the Michele Bachmann's Minnesota clinic appearing to practice a discredited form of 'therapy" intended to turn homosexuals into heterosexuals, I predicted the film would haunt her on the campaign trail. That haunting has already begun -- and it is only one of several problems she is now having to contend with. Once the video made it onto ABC  News last week, Bachmann was under fire. The video, which was shotwith hidden cameras by a gay advocacy group,  appeared in reports by veteran investigative correspondent Brian Ross.

Ben Cardin held off about as long as possible for a modern politician, but he finally caved to intense pressure. He launched a Facebook page. "Back in 1966, when I first ran for the Maryland House of Delegates, there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube -- not even the Internet," he writes in an e-mail that just popped up on my computer. "All we had to get our message out were yard signs, fliers, volunteers and a whole lot of determination. "But while the way we communicate has changed a lot, my dedication to improving the lives of the people of Maryland hasn't.

Maryland is no stranger to movies and TV, but with the filming of the HBO political drama "Game Change" here, our small state has taken on its toughest role ever — Alaska. Yet production designer Michael Corenblith and set decorator Tiffany Zappulla weren't intimidated. Challenged to film a scene at the Alaska State Fair for the docudrama about the 2008 presidential election, they headed to Six Flags America near Bowie. They found a rollercoaster that looks just like the one up north and tracked down a 9-foot stuffed grizzly from an antiques store in Easton to evoke the vibe of a real Alaskan midway.

Maryland's secretary of the environment, Shari T. Wilson, announced Tuesday that she is leaving her post in two weeks, making her one of two Cabinet-level officials to leave the O'Malley administration in a single day. James E. Lyons, the secretary of higher education, also announced Tuesday that he is retiring. He is 67. Gov. Martin O'Malley offered praise for both officials in separate statements, thanking Lyons for his "remarkable service. " The governor complimented Wilson's work on new storm-water management regulations and climate-change rules.

In the final weekend of the campaign, a confident Gov. Martin O'Malley headlined events across the state, from Southern Maryland to Baltimore, while former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. took a more low-key approach, mostly checking in at gatherings organized for other purposes. The Democratic incumbent, comfortably leading in recent polls, predicted at campaign stops Sunday that Maryland would be "a bright spot" for Democrats on Election Day, even as Republicans make gains elsewhere in the country.