Kent Conrad: “The No. 2 issue of concern to Americans exceed only by the economy was escalating deficits and debt.”

It takes guts to do that, and Chairman Arrington, you have certainly led the charge on having a commission.

I thought he was an outstanding Committee Chairman, and my former intern has succeeded him in his Congressional seat.

We admire that, and I can say on both sides of the aisle, people recognize the job he did as Budget Committee Chairman.

Can I just respond quickly, Mr. Chairman, and say when Simpson-Bowles went down, a group of six of us in the Senate, three Democrats, three Republicans, were asked by leadership to see if we couldn't come up with a way forward to adopt the…