It's being reported at Big Government that Barbara Boxer has paid $30,000 since 2004 to secure the endorsement of ethics-challenged Maxine Waters.

The payments break down as follows: $25,000 in 2004 and $5,000 this year.  (Perhaps Water's own ethics problems have reduced the value of her endorsement this year.)

But why in the world is Barbara Boxer -- incidentally, chairman of the committee that saw no problem with Chris Dodd's mortgage funny business -- paying for endorsements?  Surely she garner support some other way . . . .?


In the past, Boxer has said that the ethics problems of her friend Maxine Waters and others aren't going to hurt her campaign.  Perhaps she shouldn't be so sure.