YouTube: George W. Bush on Tribal Sovereignty
Indian Country Today continues its series on the American presidency with a look at George W. Bush. Bush, a former governor of Texas, was not known for any major Indian policy achievements during his eight years in office. Instead the 43rd president is often remembered for struggling to explain the meaning of tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship. "Tribal sovereignty means that. It's sovereign," Bush told a conference of minority journalists in August 2004. "You're a .. you're a ... you've been given sovereignty and you're viewed as a sovereign entity." A month later, though, Bush signed the Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relationship with Tribal Governments, ICT reports. He also signed a handful of pro-tribal bills into law but his administration notoriously resisted the Indian Health Care Improvement Act for his entire presidency. It finally became law after he left office. Read More on the Story:
George W. Bush: ‘Actively Ignored’ Indians; Struggled with Sovereignty (Indian Country Today 10/25)
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Bush tells journalists tribes 'given' sovereignty
(August 9, 2004)
