Cry havoc, and unleash the pigs of pork

This isn't about actual pig products, but about who's bringing home the bacon to Rhode Island. Incumbent Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (pictured above) has found himself having to defend his vote on an appropriations bill that helped finance, among other things, a controversial and ruiniously expensive bridge in Alaska in order to secure a $16,000,000 grant to build a new federal building in downtown Providence.

Chafee's primary opponent, Cranston mayor Steve Laffey, is raking Chafee over the coals, while Chafee has counterattacked, alleging that Laffey lobbied him to secure $167,000 from the federal budget to repair city hall in Cranston.

Will voters punish Chafee for bringing home the bacon? Will Laffey rue asking Chafee for dough? The Providence Journal (registration, as always, required) has the story here.