WASHINGTON — Utah Sen. Bob Bennett suggested a way to avoid serious forest fires in the drought-gripped West: Have the only American Indian senator do a rain dance.
Bennett said the comment was not meant to be offensive, and Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the subject of the remark, said he took no offense. But an American Indian activist said Bennett was insensitive to make light of a ritual sacred to many tribes.
During a hearing Thursday on next year's forest firefighting budget, Bennett noted the drought in much of the West and told Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, "Aside from doing a rain dance and making it rain — we'll assign that to Sen. Campbell — I'm not sure what you can do."
Campbell, R-Colo., said he believed the comment came in a moment of levity and Bennett may not have understood the significance of rain prayers and dances to American Indian tribes.
"It surprised me a little bit, but I didn't take personal offense at it," Campbell said. "I think actions speak louder than words, and Bob Bennett has always been there for me when I need help on an Indian issue."
Suzan Shown Harjo, president of the Morningstar Institute, an American Indian advocacy group, said you "can't get much more offensive than insulting a religious activity."
Campbell, who is a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, said it's not uncommon for his colleagues to make reference to his heritage.
Bennett approached Campbell on the Senate floor after his office was contacted by a reporter to make sure there was no harm done.
"It was clearly not" meant to offend, Bennett said, adding that he and Campbell have been friends since they came to the Senate together in 1992. "I was unaware it was a sacred ritual. It's part of the folklore of the West."
Earlier this year, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., was forced to resign as Senate Majority Leader after making statements at Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday construed to be supportive of segregationist policies that Thurmond once espoused.
And Rep. James Moran, D-Va., has been under fire recently for saying at a town hall meeting that support from the Jewish community was driving U.S. policy in Iraq.
In 1999, Bennett was criticized for telling a newspaper editorial board that George W. Bush would win the Republican nomination unless "some black woman comes forward with an illegitimate child that he fathered."
Bennett issued a statement at the time saying he regretted those comments, but those who heard the remark realized it had no racial overtones.