Congressman Barney Frank is a Democrat's Democrat, fiercely loyal to his party and to his president.
So when Frank starts complaining — publicly — about a federal department led by an appointee of President Obama, it's a matter of substance — on the part of Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Frank, after a lengthy meeting with Lubchenco last fall, had sent her a letter asking for support of the fishing industry. After receiving a reply from her in early January, Frank wrote back a week ago, saying she had "squandered" an opportunity to preserve jobs in the industry.
Indeed, with a new regulatory regime due to begin in May, in which fishing will be controlled under a so-called "catch share" system instead of a limited Days at Sea, Lubchenco has acknowledged that it will lead to the consolidation of the industry and fewer jobs. But she said the benefit would be that those fewer remaining jobs would be "better."