No Good Deed Left Unpunished

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

The folks at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard love their Twain:

When the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was slated for closure last year, it was Rep. Jeb Bradley who delivered to President Bush a petition and 400 letters from local residents asking for reconsideration. Bradley was an energetic and outspoken advocate for the shipyard, and he deserves partial credit for getting it off the base closure list.

What thanks does he get? On Monday the shipyard's largest union endorsed Bradley's opponent, Carol Shea-Porter.

Paul O'Connor, president of the shipyard's Metal Trades Council, said it was all about support of "working people." Bradley, he charged, does not support working people.

Right. Except for fighting to save their jobs.

I'd have loved to hear from the rank and file on this. The interviews could have been conducted during their lunchbreaks, and they could explain, in between bites of thick cornbeef sandwiches, why this guy hadn't earned their support.