Who would even want to take on a North Dakotan?  Apparently not Sen. Tom Harkin, D-IA, who heads up the agricultural committee.  From the DesMoines Register blog:

Not that Harkin is necessarily in a hurry to get Schafer in place at USDA.
Harkin made no secret that he likes working with the acting secretary, Chuck Conner, who was widely expected to get the nomination.
Harkin has demonstated no enthusiasm so far for Schafer.
Could it be that he doesn’t want to take on another North Dakotan right now? After all, Harkin has already been battling with North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad, Schafer’s former brother-in-law, over the farm bill.
“Very perceptive,” Harkin muttered.

The point I’m getting at here isn’t about politics.  It’s about being a North Dakotan, and what that means to the outside world when they actually get to know people from this state.  It’s one more piece of evidence showing the high caliber of people in and from North Dakota.