Dr. Tom Osborne, Nebraska's Third Congressional District US Representative, and former University of Nebraska football head coach, announced this weekend that he intends to give up his seat in Congress to run for Governor of the State of Nebraska.
He will be running against a sitting governor of his own Republican party, John Heineman. Gov. Heineman was the Lt. Gov., and became governor when the elected governor, Mike Johanns, accepted Dubya's offer earlier this year to become US Secretary of Agriculture.
Why is Dr. Tom doing this? He says he is not trying to cause dissention in the party, and that he will never say a bad word about Gov. Heineman. Further, he is flying in the face of an early endorsement of Gov. Heineman by Nebraska US Senator Chuck Hagel--also a Republican. Hagel has announced that while he has nothing bad to say about Dr. T, he stands by his endorsement of Gov. Heineman. So, Dr. T, wazzup?
I think I know. Dr. T liked being in charge when he was the head football coach . . . and after he started beating Oklahoma (i.e., after Barry Switzer left) and won 3, count 'em, 3, National Championships, his nickname in these parts became "God." (His smallest winning percentage in his three runs for Congress was something on the order of 87%.)
In Congress, he is one of 435. As Governor, he'd be 1 of 1.
Besides, he'll get to move back to Lincoln. Heck, I'd live in Lincoln if my health and financial circumstances would permit it. Don't get me wrong. I love living in Bellevue; but Lincoln is where I went to college, and those days were in many respects the best of my life. I sometimes wish I had more immediate connections to them than I presently do.
For Dr. Tom, however, it's less about party loyalty and the need to solve Nebraska's problems (despite what he said in his announcement) than it is about his own ego, methinks.
After all, he retired from coaching on the advice of his cardiologists. The stress was too much on his heart. And yet he entered elective politics AFTER he was told to slow down and take it easy. He has served long enough to be getting some influence in Congress, too. Why would he abandon what he has built for a potentially divisive and disastrous (for his party) run for the governorship?
Under that mild demeanor may lurk the soul of a dictator. Dr. Tom evidently found being one of many unsatisfying; he seems to prefer the opportunity to be totally in charge.
This may bode well for the Democrats' chances to retake the governor's office. One can but hope.
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