Read between the lines

Folks, it's right and front of you, and it's the reason Mr. Unimpeachable John Leopold once again violated his favorite campaign promise:

County Executive John R. Leopold has amassed a half-million dollar campaign war chest during his first year in office, shattering previous records for Anne Arundel County, campaign finance reports filed yesterday show....

According to records obtained by The Capital, more than half of the $504,325 Mr. Leopold raised during 2007 came from the development and land-use community. At least another $14,000 came from his employees and political appointees. Mr. Leopold nearly matched what Robert L. Ehrlich raised during his first year as governor four years ago, and far surpassed the $62,178 Janet S. Owens collected during the first year of her first term.

Despite the hefty contributions from developers - garnered largely at private, $4,000-a-head fundraisers - Mr. Leopold said he has a record of independence that would be untainted by the contributions.

"I've said from the outset that builders and developers should have a voice at the table but should never be able to drive public policy in the county," Mr. Leopold said.

Well, other than John Leopold once again breaking a campaign promise (which might as well be his middle name), you can see that this is more than just a Liberal Republican gearing up to run for another four year term.

John Leopold is preparing a run for Governor, something that I have been saying for a long time. At the end of the day, he may not actually run for Governor, but nobody can deny the fact that Leopold is certainly trying to position himself as a player in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

The Republican Party is going to have to make sure to come together before 2010 and ensure that the we do not get stuck with someone like John Leopold as our party's statewide standard bearer....