MISSOULA, Mont. - American Indians are being wooed by the Democratic presidential candidates.

Natives are being promised a presence in the White House, unlike any other time in history, providing Sen. Barack Obama becomes the next president of the United States.

In a detailed, four-page proposed Indian policy statement, the Illinois Democratic senator said he would appoint "an American Indian policy adviser on his senior White House staff so that Indian Country has a direct interface at the highest level of the Obama administration."

"That is huge," said Keith Harper, a Indian law attorney in Washington, D.C. "We've never even really had anybody in the door of the White House. They've been in the old executive office building in some back corner. And in this administration, they haven't even been around at all."

Sens. Obama and Hillary Clinton are both courting the national Indian vote, a political entity that represents 4.5 million Indian people in the United States, a much-needed voting block in tight elections.

Clinton's American Indian agenda covers 11 key areas, ranging from appointing Native people to key positions in federal departments and agencies, and increasing the Indian Health Service budget to supporting tribal government rights in adopting and regulating environmental policies.

Many of her agenda items were developed from 1993 to 2001.

"It's a carry-over from her husband's policy," said Arlan Melendez, chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Nevada. "We knew what her relationship was with tribes, basically honoring the government-to-government relationship and our stance on sovereignty."

Melendez helped Clinton refine her proposed Native policy statement.

"The premise of the whole platform was in making sure we had access to her should she become president," he said, noting tribal leaders have sought reassurance from Clinton to honor a November 2000 executive order signed by President Clinton, which called for a consultation process with tribes to develop federal Indian policy.

"That still sticks in the minds of tribal leaders," said Melendez.

During Bill Clinton's presidency, Hillary took center stage in organizing economic development meetings with tribes, said Melendez. "We were impressed with her active role."

Melendez said one of the first presidential consultation priorities with tribes should be a discussion around the Interior Department's modernization attempts within the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"We're skeptical," he said. "I think many tribes have a problem with the Office of the Special Trustee. It's dramatically affected tribes. It's detrimental."

Melendez said Clinton, who co-sponsored the Indian Health Care Improvement Act amendment of 2007, understands the federal trust responsibility to tribal health care, and she knows how the Indian Health Service operates.

Her knowledge comes from visiting many reservations across the country. The New York senator earned in February the political endorsement of Joe Shirley, president of the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe in the country.

Harper said about 40 tribal leaders across the country have endorsed Obama.

Chairman John Steele of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation is endorsing Obama, making the decision after learning the senator planned to create a senior White House Native policy adviser staff position.

"That's key," said Steele. "That's not happened before. He also talked about a Tribal G-8 to develop Indian policy. That was important to who I wanted to back in the Democratic primary."

Obama has said he will host annual meetings with tribes at the White House.

Besides changing the process for Native consultation, Obama's platform includes preserving tribal languages, boosting economic development and addressing violence in Indian Country.

Pete Rouse, Obama's chief of staff, said health care, education and economic development ranked at the top of Obama's concerns for Indian Country. Obama co-sponsored the reauthorization of the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act, a federal law that hadn't been updated for about 15 years.

"We have an obligation, a responsibility to provide full Indian health care, and in my memory, we've never done it," Rouse said recently. "Nobody was out there advocating to do it at the highest levels of the administration. Right now, Indian policy concerns don't have a fighting chance because they don't have the visibility or the clout behind them."

"One of the big issues here is to empower tribes to solve their own problems … in a way they want to solve them. Washington can't say, 'Here's a bunch of money,'" said Rouse.

(Reach reporter Jodi Rave at 800-366-7186 or jodi.rave. )@lee.net