Baucus girlfriend eyed U.S. attorney post for years

MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press Writer BILLINGS

Montana Sen. Max Baucus' live-in girlfriend had eyed the state's U.S. attorney post for years before he nominated her for the job, her former colleagues said. Melodee Hanes, 53, the Democratic senator's former state director, was described by colleagues as a skilled trial attorney qualified for the Federal prosecutor's job. She withdrew her nomination in March. Baucus, 67, is chairman of the Senate's influential finance committee and a leading voice in Democratic calls for health care reform. The mingling of his personal and professional lives...