That's a take-off from what became the byword of Harry Truman's 1948 election campaign, which also conveys my hope and the hopes of countless scores of Marylanders that that's what Governor Ehrlich will do in his on-going, mano a mano with the House Speaker Michael Busch, his chief antagonist in the legislature, and the driving force in the "stop slots at all costs" crusade.

From what I can tell, however, he apparently doesn't need any encouragement to be more aggressive in defending his plans for balancing the budget, in general, and his slots plan, in particular; and to "go toe to toe" with his adversaries to achieve those goals. For while he may have been left reeling on the ropes from so many low blows delivered by the House Speaker during the last session, he's obviously regained his fighting form, and is still capable of throwing a haymaker. Evidence of that was revealed by his recent barnstorming around the state in a bus- he couldn't afford a train like Truman had- to rally support for his budget plan, and by landing (at every stop) straight jabs on Busch. But never once did he hit him below the belt.

However reluctantly, Busch, along with the other Democrats who marched in lockstep behind him, have come to the realization that the governor wasn't "whistling Dixie," when vowing to veto the $135 million corporate tax package put forth by the Democrats, and that he's hell bent on lopping off another $500 million from the budget to get the jump on the expected $1 billion deficit in 2005. And to then"let the chips fall where they may."

No doubt, its also caused many Democrats to re-think their position in opposing slots, if for no other reason than to save their political hides from vengeful constituents in the next election, who are still smarting over the shellacking they got at the hands of the democratically- controlled General Assembly, and who will smart even more when they see their state and local taxes raised because of their blind partisanship.

As it now stands, the House Speaker- whose toned down his harsh rhetoric considerably since Ehrlich went on the offense- has indicated that he and Senate President Mike Miller would like to have a pow-wow with the governor before his proposed cuts are voted on by the Board of Public Works. Now, I'm doubtful that such a meeting would be fruitful, for just sitting next to each other would be difficult enough. However, if by some miracle, they're willing to play the game of give and take and are able to reach an agreement- one which, ideally, would allow for slots at the tracks, and for the governor, in turn, to withdraw his proposed Draconian budget cuts- then a small plaque or monument should be placed conspicuously on the capital grounds to commemorate that historical achievement, maybe by the fountain dedicated to Schaefer's late girlfriend that he got the guv to turn back on. (I've always felt that Glendenning having turned it off underscored his pathological hatred for the man.)

But I'm nervous about what could happen if Busch and Ehrlich fail to reach an accord on the budget, and that it's then left up to the Board of Public Works to decide what cuts will be made, where and how deeply. Treasurer Nancy Kopp I know nothing about except that she's a liberal Democrat and former delegate from Montgomery County, who I suspect wouldn't go along with the extent of his proposed cuts. That, then, would make Schaefer the swing vote, whose already cautioned the governor not to swing his meat ax too freely. But trying to predict how he'll vote, given his mercurial personality, is like trying to forecast what the mushrooming Federal deficit will be at this time next year.

The one thing I'm certain of, though, is that, when all is said and done and the smoke finally settles over the Capitol Dome, Ehrlich will "carry the day." And as Truman gleefully displayed the headline in an advance edition of the Chicago Tribune proclaiming "Dewey Defeats Truman," he'll see his- and our- victory in the battle over the budget headlined in the Baltimore Sun. Incidentally, the Sun is now owned by the Chicago Tribune, who should be pleased to see that, if not them, one of their papers made the right call.