It's not about the speeding tickets."

That comment by a former state official is one of the more astute observations regarding the political fracas involving Kristi Noem's driving record.

Noem, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for South Dakota's only House seat, racked up 20 speeding tickets over the past two decades.

She also was ticketed three times for failure to make a proper stop, twice for not having proper license plates, twice for failure to wear a seat belt, and once for not having a driver's license.

Two warrants were issued for Noem's arrest when she neglected to pay fines. They later were settled without an arrest.

Those violations prompted the South Dakota Democratic Party to create a website dedicated just to Noem's driving record.

Why hasn't the Democratic Party devoted a web site to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Scott Heidepriem, who racked up 18 traffic violations over the same period of time?

Because it's not about the speeding tickets. It's about a major political campaign and an effort by Herseth Sandlin's supporters to embarrass her opponent.

Not that Noem shouldn't be chastised for her poor driving record, especially in a state that well remembers what tragic consequences can result.

In 2003, former governor and then-U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow ran a stop sign, killing a motorcyclist. His subsequent conviction and resignation left an open seat for Herseth Sandlin.

Ironically, her campaign now is trumpeting her opponent's poor driving record, even though Noem can hardly be compared with Janklow. Her infractions were misdemeanors. He was convicted of second-degree manslaughter.

Noem's driving habits certainly have the potential to harm others, too, but that hasn't happened to date.

She should take her lumps for the irresponsible behavior. She should vow to knock it off. And that should be enough to satisfy her critics. Instead, Noem's driving habits are getting a disproportionate amount of attention that many find disturbing, along with its polarizing effect on voters who have more important things to consider.

Where do the candidates stand on the staggering federal budget deficit? Where - and the public would like to hear some specific examples, please- would they cut the federal budget? How would they shore up Social Security, secure the nation's borders and fix our ailing health care system?

The platitudes have been flying in this campaign. Specifics are more difficult to root out.

It's up to voters to individually decide whether Noem's driving record has anything to do with her ability to capably serve in Congress.

Her supporters generally deem it irrelevant, her opponents quite the opposite, when it's largely beside the point.

It's more important to determine what Noem has to offer as a potential member of Congress, and whether she could do a better job than Herseth Sandlin, who has a stellar driving record, but nonetheless has managed to alienate a fair number of South Dakota voters.