Joseph F. Steffen Jr. was the Ehrlich administration's Katrina. The case for awarding him such year-end eminence rests on the impact he made as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s designated prince of patronage, the headline-making endurance of his work and its devastating potential for the Republican Party in Maryland on the eve of an election year. Joe Steffen has more name recognition than many of the candidates who think they can break through at some level in the political scrum looming this year. He is destined to become a negative bumper sticker for Mr. Ehrlich's administration. In the early years,...