Something fishy about Obama’s Montana visit
It was Barack Obama’s “A River Runs Through It” moment.
Moving beyond his usual sporting pursuits of basketball and golf, the U.S. president took advantage of his trip to Montana’s Big Sky country on Friday to try his hand at the Western pastime of fly fishing.
His original plan for a 30-minute helicopter ride to a fishing spot at the O’Dell Creek Ranch was nixed by rainy weather.
Instead, after hosting a healthcare townhall meeting in the rustic town of Belgrade, Obama traveled by motorcade to a nearby private ranch set against a misted mountain range.
The meandering East Gallatin River runs through it and the fishing hole there was apparently deemed acceptable for presidential use.
Although the press pool was kept at a distance with its view mostly obscured by trees and overcast skies, Obama’s entourage was spotted headed to the riverbank with fly-fishing rods in hand. Whiplike lures could be seen looping gracefully over the water.
But that didn’t last for long. Driving rain soon forced the party indoors at a sprawling ranch-style mansion.
Clinton receives thanks from American Indians
FLATHEAD INDIAN RESERVATION, Montana – Hillary Clinton took her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination to an Indian reservation where she received applause, thanks – and new footwear.
“You’ve gone a million miles for the Indian people — here are a pair of moccasins to help you on your journey,” Joe McDonald, president of Salish Kootenai College, said on Tuesday in presenting Clinton the gift.
A crowd of several hundred roared approval.
Drawing more applause, Clinton said, “We need a president next January who understands the obligation that the United States government has to the tribes that represent the first people of the United States.”
As first lady, and now a U.S. senator from New York, Clinton has worked to upgrade health care, education and economic opportunities for native Americans, many of whom live in poverty.
In Montana, there are about 56,000 American Indians among seven tribes, making up 6.2 percent of the state’s population.
Clinton recalled that when her husband was president, he held a meeting with more than 500 leaders of Indian tribes nationwide, marking the first such talks “in many, many years.”
Hey! A positive story on Clinton.
I look for any morsel I can read on this interesting candidate.
As an international employee assigned here, I am watching the campaign unfold.
I’m not sure how voters evaluate a candidate, maybe on the basis of American Idol?
On the world stage, the Clintons were heralded. We were impressed by the energy and international appeal of the husband/wife team.
One thought comes to me many times over:
With such a proven candidate, the American people just may not be able to get over the gender hurdle .
If Obama wants to snuff out racism in the United States, he needs to quit trying to prove that he is at least twice as smart as any of his predecessors. The truth is he is going to paint himself into a corner that he can’t get out of. When that happens, the racists in this country will have the last laugh. Trying to cram a health bill down our throats that we don’t want isn’t going to earn him any respect. He is just pouring gas on the racism fire.