"Sen. Barack Obama has some of the same characteristics. He made changes in his speeches and how he approached the presidential campaign. But most important, Obama stayed steady, even when his relationships with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers became national issues. Cool and steady made the day for him.
You can’t overlook the fact that he is intelligent and certainly has done his homework. That was evident in the two presidential debates. He knew facts and figures. Obama can figure things out intelligently, and he isn’t afraid to ask for advice of those around him.
Obama is a winner.
As I said in an earlier column, I admire Sen. John McCain because he put aside his own well-being and actually suffered for years as a prisoner of war. Yet as an elder, I also know that life takes a toll on your body. I give McCain credit for his efforts, but I don’t know if it’s worth his self-sacrifice at this time in his life’s journey.
And his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was not a good one, in my view. I would fear for this country if something happened to McCain, and Palin vaulted to the presidency.
In coffee-talk conversations with several women, I find we all often get irritated at the reactions of some people to Palin. “Is she electable because she’s ‘hot?’” one woman asked. Do her good looks trump her inexperience and mistakes?"
Get the Story:DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Enough, already, with Campaign 2008 (The Grand Forks Herald 10/11)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Respect for elders seems to be fading (10/8)
Yellow Bird: Races are more alike than different (9/24)
Yellow Bird: Wild plum picking in North Dakota (9/22)
Yellow Bird: Birds bring magic to North Dakota (9/17)
Yellow Bird: Race a poisonous role in the election (9/15)
Yellow Bird: UTTC powwow keeps getting bigger (9/10)
Yellow Bird: Interview with new president of UND (9/8)
Yellow Bird: North Dakota tribe at turning point with oil (9/3)
Yellow Bird: Committing to a lifetime of sobriety (9/1)
Yellow Bird: Veterans Memorial Wall an inspiration (8/27)
Yellow Bird: Cancer on Indian Country's doorstep (8/25)
Yellow Bird: Good friends and good chokecherries (8/20)
Yellow Bird: Olympics, a war without destruction (8/18)
Yellow Bird: Investing in college students (8/11)
Yellow Bird: Exploring healthy, traditional foods (8/6)
Yellow Bird: Eliminate smoking at all tribal casinos (8/4)
Yellow Bird: On UNITY, Amtrak and North Dakota (7/30)
Yellow Bird: Sundance offers food for the soul (7/23)
Yellow Bird: Watching the sky for hints of danger (7/14)
Yellow Bird: Humbled by Turtle Mountain tornadoes (7/10)
Yellow Bird: Sometimes the media gets carried away (7/7)
Yellow Bird: Smudging room at North Dakota hospital (7/2)
Yellow Bird: Adventures that stir the spirit (6/18)
Yellow Bird: Exhibit focuses on Arikara Scouts (6/16)
Yellow Bird: My heart belongs to the Great Plains (6/11)
Yellow Bird: White buffalo signals hope and peace (6/9)
Yellow Bird: Sen. Barack Obama for president (6/4)
Yellow Bird: There's good and bad in oil development (6/2)
Yellow Bird: Remembering all relatives a big chore (5/28)
Yellow Bird: Oil on the Fort Berthold Reservation (5/26)
Yellow Bird: Recycle and live lightly on the Earth (5/12)
Yellow Bird: Leaps in America's multiracial society (5/7)
Yellow Bird: Diversity in the United States (5/5)
Yellow Bird: Pollution a threat to North Dakota (4/30)
Yellow Bird: Program graduates Indian nurses at UND (4/21)
Yellow Bird: Recovering from brain aneurysm surgery (4/17)
Yellow Bird: A fight for oil on the reservation (03/31)
Yellow Bird: Excitement in North Dakota's weather (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Thoughts on Sen. Obama and race (3/24)
Yellow Bird: Pray for rain in western North Dakota (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Grandchildren are the greatest gift (3/17)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow survives budget woes (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Stereotypes and Hillary Clinton (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Celebrating 125 years of UND history (3/3)
Yellow Bird: High hopes for Indian health bill (2/28)
Yellow Bird: More Plains foods that are good for you (2/25)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherries, the wonder fruit (2/20)
Yellow Bird: Sadness on a trip to Standing Rock (2/18)
Yellow Bird: It's time for a change in music (2/11)
Yellow Bird: 'Sioux' drives Indian students away (2/7)
Yellow Bird: Another cold January in North Dakota (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal casinos should be alcohol free (1/28)
Yellow Bird: Race and gender in presidential race (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama is my choice for 2008 (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Artman right on off-reservation gaming (1/9)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama's big win in Iowa (1/7)