Assuming the Anne Arundel County Council meets tonight, County Executive John Leopold is set to introduce a bill that would allow slots under his county's zoning law at either Laurel Park or Arundel Mills Mall. That's a pretty remarkable turn of events considering how staunchly Leopold opposed slots when he was in the House of Delegates -- he voted against the only slots bill to pass the House when he was there, HB 1361 of 2005, despite intense pressure from then-Gov. Ehrlich for support from his fellow Republicans. (The arm twisting was so intense that the final vote came from Del. Nancy Stocksdale, a Carroll County Republican who had made slots opposition the centerpiece of her campaign for office.)

Leopold has been taking the line that since the people of Maryland voted for slots, he's not going to stand in the way. It's a tricky political issue -- it's never good to stand on the opposite side of the majority of your constituents, but then again, public opinion may be changing now that the slots bidding process has turned into a huge mess. Of course, Leopold is also in a different position now -- rather than being one of 141 delegates, and in the distinct minority at that, he's now the guy in charge of balancing the budget. That could certainly change your perspective, particularly as the financial situation of the state and counties gets worse by the day.

That said, will somebody call him a flip-flopper in 2010? No doubt.