"I follow the news and try to stay abreast of national and state politics, although I don’t compare myself with the Herald’s publisher and editorial page editor, who are political wonks. Yet, it has been my pleasure to sit on the Herald’s editorial board for the past 11 years. I find the board an exciting place most times.

One such episode unfolded earlier this week when the editorial board met with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. Conrad came to discuss, among other things, the reports that he got preferential treatment by Countrywide Financial — preferential treatment because he is a senator.

I’ve met Conrad and listened to him from across our editorial board table many times. I respect him and had wondered why he would take such a chance on his career.

But Conrad’s misstep — if he even made one, which I now doubt — didn’t seem to compare with the sexual encounters of Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho or Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York, two of the latest in a pretty long line of officials who’ve been publicly disgraced. They not only embarrassed the nation but also pushed their families against the wall, leaving their wives with seemingly no choice but to stand beside their husbands. The media made hay with Spitzer and Craig.

When scandals break on Capitol Hill, I’m usually not surprised, and that’s sad to say. I spent four years in Washington and loved the excitement of the powerful pushes and pulls of the Hill. There were rumors of unsavory things happening, but even when I worked there, nothing seemed to surprise us."

Get the Story:
Dorreen Yellow Bird: Filtering half-truths, exaggerations (The Grand Forks Herald 7/5)
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