Love In Short Supply For Political Spouses

"You don't become a board member with this thin a resume unless you know someone," Healy said.

While cautioning that political couples in general need to be careful to avoid conflicts, Sloan said Dodd's wife has "some pretty good qualifications to be a corporate director."

The Dodd flap comes on the heels of a 2008 presidential campaign where spouses faced criticism over various issues.

Conservatives questioned Michelle Obama's patriotism for her remarks about being proud now to be an American, prompting her husband's blunt "lay off my wife" warning to critics. Democrats ripped into Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, for failing to release tax returns showing her vast wealth. She eventually relented.

Former President Bill Clinton sparked an uproar when he said Barack Obama's opposition to the Iraq war was a "fairy tale." Clinton's rants against Obama on behalf of his wife during the primaries were so intense that Obama quipped to Hillary Rodham Clinton, "I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes."

When Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh was seen as a possible running mate for Obama last year, there were questions about Bayh's potential conflicts of interest because of his wife Susan's service on several corporate boards.