DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:00 pm
Concerns over U.S. determination to finish the job in Iraq have helped prompt Shane Osborn to reconsider the possibility of entering next year's Senate race.
"We've put lives on the line and lost a lot of good people over there," said the U.S. Navy pilot who guided his crippled aircraft and 23 crewmates to a safe crash-landing on Chinese soil four years ago.
"I have friends over there fighting. I've been in this war and I know a little about it," Osborn said in a telephone interview.
"We're doing darn good work over there and we need to follow through with this. We've put our name on the line. We've given our word."
Osborn, 31, who grew up in Norfolk, returned to Nebraska earlier this year to enter civilian life after serving nine years in the Navy. He and his family wife, Teri, and two children live in Omaha, where he is an aviation insurance broker.
Last February, in a Lincoln interview, Osborn said he had an interest in future public service, but any political venture would not come as early as 2006.
"However, a lot of people have approached me since I've been back," Osborn said, urging him to weigh the possibility of stepping into next year's already competitive Senate race.
"My first instinct is to make sure my family is taken care of," he said. "That is the precursor to everything."
But he's troubled by the relative lack of military experience in the Congress, Osborn said, especially in a time of war.
While members of the Senate bring a rich array of experiences to Washington, he said, he could add "the perspective of serving in the military."
So, Osborn said, he will take a look at the possibility of joining former Attorney General Don Stenberg, former Republican State Chairman David Kramer and Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts in the GOP contest.
The winner would face Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, who is on course to seek re-election.
A practical problem he must consider, Osborn said, is a lack of money to challenge the three already established figures in the Republican race.
"I love this state and I love being home," he said. "Is this the right time for me? Is my family ready? Is this the right race for me?"
Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.