Senator Kent Conrad says he thought his special VIP mortgage from Countrywide was a frequent flyer deal. But no details on whether he actually got the miles, and if so in what program? How are we supposed to evaluate a Senator if we don’t know the decisions they make in mileage accumulation?

Put another way, do you really want someone accruing primarily Delta Skymiles making decisions on major pieces of legislation? Or would you trust someone more who is doing their best to take advantage of promo opportunities, or banking flexible currencies like Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints or American Express Membership Rewards?

More to the point: how much mileage does it take to get a Senator to sponsor legilslation? All the major carriers have lobby shops, perhaps they should consider donating miles rather than money to campaigns?