Sen. Kent Conrad is an honest man. I have seen him work himself ragged on behalf of North Dakota. We have no greater champion for farmers and ranchers. We have no greater champion for getting us better health care. And he is a man of courage.

He stood up to the president when this President Bush wanted to privatize Social Security. Conrad said no. He stood up to the president when the rest of the Senate voted to go to war in Iraq. Anybody remember that? That took guts. Conrad has guts, and he's got the right moral compass.

I am going beyond giving Kent Conrad the benefit of the doubt. I have read the papers, read his Web site, and seen the TV reports. He has been honest and forthright about his dealings with Countrywide. It is clear to me that he has no personal relationship with the CEO of Countrywide Financial. He spoke to him once on the phone. And he didn't get any special deals on his terms and rates for his mortgages. Respected bankers have been quoted as saying so. Conrad did nothing wrong. Let it go. Let's move on. There's work to be done, and this is only a distraction.