Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the presumptive Republican nominee for president, was in South Dakota last week but didn't have enough time to meet with tribal leaders, according to his campaign.

The Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association contacted McCain's campaign last month to arrange a meeting but nothing came of it. Even an attempt by John Tahusda, one of McCain's former staffers who co-chairs McCain's Indian committee, failed to bear fruit.

So tribal leaders turned to Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota), who is active on Indian issues, for help in meeting McCain. That didn't work either.

"It's a total disappointment,'' A. Gay Kingman, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, told Indian Country Today. ''Many of us have known Sen. McCain - and even testified before him when he was chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.''

A campaign spokesperson told ICT that McCain kept tribes "in mind" when he visited a motorcycle rally in Sturgis.

Get the Story:
McCain offends by not meeting Great Plains tribes (Indian Country Today 8/12)

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