In the same way he insists on bipartisanship in the Senate, Dem. Senator Max "Bad Max" Baucus apparently wants to show his Rethug colleagues that he can be as naughty as they are when it comes to shenanigans with the staff. His nomination of his girlfriend, Melodee Hanes, to be U.S. attorney has raised questions about favoritism on Bad Max's part. Hanes, Bad Max's former state director, ended up taking another job offer instead. She worked for the Senator since 2002, and has been dating Bad Max since the summer of 2008, a few months after he separated from his wife (whom he later divorced). While it doesn't nearly approach the sliminess of Rethug Sen. Don Juan Ensign's affair with his staff member / best friend's wife (and subsequent payment of hush money), it's a reminder that often the political elite don't believe the rules apply to them.
(photo: Bad Max, keeping it bipartisan)
