Comparing the two campaigns

U.S. tribal leaders meet with ObamaAt a gathering of more than 100 Native American tribal leaders, Miko Beasley Denson, Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and Democrat presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama discussed the federal government's role in the economic development of American tribes, Denson's office said.

Representatives from dozens of tribes were on hand last month at the All Indian Pueblo Center in Albuquerque, N.M., to meet with the Senator.

Obama described the meeting as "extraordinary," according to Denson's office.

Obama discussed the relationship between the United States government and sovereign nations such as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

According to officials with the MBCI, Obama noted that historically, Native Americans have been treated as second-class citizens and that he believed the current state of health care in Indian Country was unacceptable.McCain campaign bus coming to areaThe McCain Bus is coming! The McCain Bus is coming!

But John McCain is not going to be on it.

Instead, residents of San Juan, McKinley and Cibola counties will have the opportunity to see some of the literature being put out by the McCain campaign that’s not be distributed to local groups and hear representatives of the campaign promoting McCain and Sarah Palin for president and vice president.Comment:  I guess McCain is too busy holding Palin's hand in interviews rescuing America from its financial crisis to bother with Indians.

So Indians get to read pamphlets on McCain's bus? Whoopee.

Would it be fair to say McCain is figuratively, if not literally, putting Indians at the back of the bus? Yes, I think it would.

For more on the subject, see The 2008 Presidential Campaign.