As more states are poised to legalize Internet gaming, tribes are asking for preemptive federal legislation that will appropriately protect tribal interests.  State legislation predictably treats online gambling as a commercial activity; while not barring tribes from seeking state licenses like any other commercial operator, there is no recognition or protection of tribes' status as governments, either.  (And that's not necessarily inappropriate, as states do not have independent authority to regulate federally recognized tribes.)  Even prior federal bills, though, did not pay much attention to tribal sovereignty.  Unlike the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which was focused on strong tribal governments and tribal economic development, tribes have been an afterthough