The Kamenetz-POTUS Mind Meld

If you watched the State of the Union speech last night you might have picked up on the brief moment of synergy between President Barack Obama and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

Tuesday morning Kamenetz announced for police, fire, sheriff and corrections positions just hours before the president mentioned something eerily familiar in his speech.

"All of a sudden (Obama) mentioned it and I texted the county executive saying 'I hope you're still watching the speech,'" said Don Mohler, Kamenetz's chief of staff.

Obama brought up the idea of a veteran's hiring program at the end of his nearly one-hour speech Tuesday night.

"Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it," according to a copy of the prepared speech released to reporters last night. "As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned -- which is why we’ve increased annual VA spending every year I’ve been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

"With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I'm proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her."

Mohler joked that the county executive and president met in a burger summit to discuss the idea.

"They had burgers at ," Mohler joked adding on a serious note that "they didn't call in any talking points and David Plouffe (a senior adviser to Obama) didn't call to give us a heads up."

"It certainly affirms what the county executive has been talking about for months," Mohler said.

No word on the details of the president's initiative or how it might dovetail with the county executive's goals.

"We'll certainly be paying close attention," said Mohler.