"As a young man in college, I had an older Native friend, a mentor for whom I had the deepest respect, who often would tell me: "Prove it."

Whether I was telling him about a college leadership position I had gained or a job I had been offered, my friend's response was always the same.

It doesn't matter what laurels others bestow upon you. It doesn't matter what you say or what you promise.

It only matters what you do.

That's why when I learned this week president-elect Barack Obama had offered the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services to former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, two words came to my mind: "Prove it."

To be sure, Daschle's nomination is being hailed in all corners of Indian Country. "

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: Daschle's Chance to 'Prove It' (Reznet News 11/20)

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