When Deb Haaland was first nominated by Joe Biden to head the Department of the Interior, a friend who lives in New Mexico and works with Native tribes told me how conflicted he was: "I hate to lose her as our representative, because she's so good. But our loss is the country's gain."

And another friend, a Native attorney, said it was hard to express how happy it made her. "Representation matters."

What a long, strange trip it's been, as someone once said. I just keep thinking of how many ways we screwed the Indians, and this is a big step toward fixing that. Secretary Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo, will be an advocate for people and the earth, not the oil lobby:

Congratulations, Secretary Haaland!