Republican Refights the Indian Wars

Republican National Committee member Pat Rogers has sent an angry e-mail to New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez attacking her for meeting with Native Americans because she had "dishonored Col Custer."

The Players

Custer dying at Little Big Horn as interpreted by the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show, 1905

Col. Custer, of course, is George Armstrong Custer, the popinjay in charge of the 7th Cavalry in 1876. His mission was a genocidal war against the Plains Indian tribes of the Dakota Territories to clear the Black Hills for American gold miners. Seeking glory and using the military guile of a dunderhead, Custer divided his command in the face of a vastly superior force of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, and lost all 208 men under him that day.

Susana Martinez is the Republican governor of New Mexico. She was briefly touted as a potential vice-presidential candidate by people who didn't remember Mitt Romney's total commitment to Anglo-Saxons.

The Native Americans were the an annual summit with Navaho and Apache tribal leaders that the governor is required to attend by New Mexico law.

Pat Rogers is a lawyer who was forced to resign from an open government foundation earlier in the year because it was discovered he was a sleazier than average lobbyist. Prior to that, Rogers was legal adviser to a voter suppression effort designed to prevent non-Whites from voting in New Mexico.

Pat Rogers is representing New Mexico at the Republican National Convention.