Uh-oh -- Steele is softening. Dem Ben Cardin has opened an 11-point lead over GOP candidate Michael Steele, according to a new poll in the Baltimore Sun. Other findings: 49% of respondents think a Dem will do a better job of solving the state's problems; and Cardin has a three-to-one lead among black voters, despite efforts by Steele, who's African American, to make inroads.