"Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., shows how far this country has come -- and how far it has yet to go. Last week the Northern Cheyenne leader announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate, adding his name to the history books as one of the few American Indians who served in Congress.

Last month Campbell was quoted in The Denver Post, saying that "at times" he didn't want to be a U.S. senator because of the intense politics surrounding Indian gaming. "One Indian in the Senate is the wrong number," he told the paper. "There ought to be more, or there ought to be none."

I'd like to think in a country like ours, there ought to be more than one."

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Mark Trahant: Congress need (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/7)

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