Montana Senator Max Baucus announced today he will vote to confirm President Bush’s pick for Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“After reviewing Judge John Roberts’ credentials and meeting with him privately, I have found that he meets my criteria for judges. And that is: only the brightest, most objective minds shall serve on the bench,” said Baucus, who acknowledged the decision was not an easy one. link

Baucus’s weasel words came after Minority Leader Reid announced he would not support Roberts:

“No one doubts that John Roberts is an excellent lawyer and an affable person,” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “But at the end of this process, I have too many unanswered questions about the nominee to justify a vote confirming him to this enormously important lifetime position.” NYT

It doesn’t surprise me that Baucus acted like a supine snake. He is one of the worst corporate whores in the Senate:

:::flip:::

In Kerry’s last reelection cycle in 2002, he ranked sixth among senators in accepting donations from lobbyists. Kerry trailed other Democrats, such as Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Max Baucus of Montana and Tom Harkin of Iowa – each of whom comes from a much smaller state. link

As can be seen from this example:

House Blocks FDA Oversight of Tobacco
GOP Leaders Engineer Move;
Result Is Seen as Setback for Health Care Groups

Six of 11 Senate Democrats ultimately supported the compromise tax measure without the FDA provisions: Max Baucus (Mont.), Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), John Breaux (La.), Jeff Bingaman (N.M.), and Blanche Lincoln (Ark.). All are from states whose energy producers or farmers will benefit from the bill’s far-reaching tax provisions. Daschle is facing a tough reelection campaign. link

And from this example:

Eighteen Democrats make a choice

The U.S. Senate approved the almost universally unpopular bankruptcy reform bill last night, and — thanks to the support of 18 Democrats — the White House and the Republicans on Capitol Hill can proclaim it a triumph of bi-partisan cooperation. While you’re writing the check for the minimum payment due again this month, your credit card company will be writing thank you notes to Democratic Sens. Max Baucus, Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Jeff Bingaman, Robert Byrd, Tom Carper, Kent Conrad, Daniel Inouye, Tim Johnson, Herb Kohl, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, Mark Pryor, Harry Reid, Ken Salazar and Debbie Stabenow. — Tim Grieve. Salon

And from this example:

Six Senate Democrats Vote to Retain Bush Mercury Rule

The nation’s environmental health protections suffered a severe setback this week when six Democratic Senators joined 45 Republicans to defeat an effort to overturn the Bush
Administration’s new rule regulating mercury emissions.

Health experts assert that the new EPA rule, which institutes a “cap-and-trade” system for mercury emissions, will cause dangerous hot spots of mercury pollution in regions where a power plant can buy pollution “credits” rather than reduce its
emissions.

Democrats joining in the 51-47 vote against repealing rule included Senators Max Baucus (MT); Robert Byrd (WV); Kent Conrad(ND); Byron Dorgan (ND): Ben Nelson (NE); Mark Pryor (AR). link

He also has no problem torturing people, or promoting “the brightest, most objective minds” that justify torturing people:

DEMOCRATIC Senators Voting FOR both Condoleezza Rice AND Alberto Gonzales:

The Democratic senators who supported Mr. Gonzales were Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, Ken Salazar of Colorado, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Bill Nelson of Florida and
Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

Mr. Lieberman said he believed that a president should be able to pick his Cabinet team, barring compelling reasons to the contrary. The senator said he had met with the nominee and was satisfied that Mr. Gonzales’s allegiance was “to the Constitution and the people of this country,” not simply to President Bush…

These three good fellows didn’t bother to vote:

Baucus, Max – (D – MT)
Conrad, Kent – (D – ND)
Inouye, Daniel – (D – HI)
link

And when it comes to investigating criminal wrongdoing by the administration, he is worse than useless:

Inquiry Confirms Medicare Chief Threatened Actuary
By ROBERT PEAR July 7, 2004 NYT

… The senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus of Montana, said that given a limited scope of the investigation, “we cannot know about the involvement or knowledge of White House officials” in the suppression of information.

Max Baucus doesn’t stand for anything. He has no balls. He’s stomping on the message of the party, which is supposed to be:

Mr. Reid said Judge Roberts, who now sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, had not been forthcoming in all his answers before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Nor did he take the opportunity to repudiate some insensitive remarks he made while a young lawyer in the Reagan administration, Mr. Reid said.

And most decidedly, not:

“I call ’em as I see them,” he said. “Judge Roberts indicated to me personally that he has a healthy respect for precedent and the hard-won rights of Americans. My only yardstick or litmus test is whether or not Judge Roberts is right for Montana and America. I’ve determined that he is.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve always tried to reach across party lines to do what’s right,” Baucus said. “This isn’t about being a Democrat or Republican; it’s about being a Montanan and American.”

As Armando said:

My yardstick tells me you are a gutless, unprincipled political coward with not an ounce of loyalty to your Party or respect for your Leader. What a useless tool you are.

If you want to tell Max Baucus you think he is a punk you can contact him here:

Washington D.C.(202) 224-2651
Billings (406) 657-6790
Bozeman (406) 586-6104
Butte (406) 782-8700
Great Falls (406) 761-1574
Helena (406) 449-5480
Kalispell (406) 756-1150
Missoula (406) 329-3123
Washington DC Fax (202) 224-0515

*Thanks to jpol for the research. And I am pleased to welcome jpol to the front-page.