NU’s Dreiling rewarded with delegate’s spot
By Brian Carlson
Staffwriter
PHILADELPHIA — This
year’s presidential election is only
the second in which Mark
Dreiling ha^ been elgibije to vote,
but already he is representing
Nebraska at the Republican
National Convention.
At 22, Dreiling is the youngest
member of a 30-person Nebraska
delegation that includes the govei -
nor, a former governor, congress
men and the speaker of the
Legislature.
“This is a perfect way to dispel
any rumors that young people
can’t have any role in politics, or
that their voices can’t be heard,” he
said.
Dreiling, who has been
involved in Nebraska politics for
more than a decade, will be on
leave from the University of
N. ’traska-Lincoln this fall while
' ng as a field organizer for
Lor Stenberg’s Senate campaign.
Earlier this summer at the state
GOP convention, Dreiling
emerged from a field of about 70
candidates to win one of 21 spots
on the delegation. Nine other del
ega.^s were chosen by voters in
the May primary.
He ran a modest campaign at
the state convention, distributing a
letter in support of his candidacy
signed by several officials in
Sarpy County, where his home
town ofPapillion is located.
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The state convention rewarded
Dreiling’s years of campaign work
by sending him to this week’s
GOP convention in Philadelphia,
where he has enjoyed die excite
ment of walking around freely on
the convention floor and helping
to nominate his party’s presiden
tial candidate.
“It is a little overwhelming
being a young delegate at the con
vention,” Dreiling said. “There
aren’t too many people out there
who get to do these kinds of
things.”
Nebraska State GOP
Chairman Chuck Sigerson said
Dreiling is the youngest Nebraska
delegate he can remember from
his 18 years in Nebraska politics.
“Mark is one of the most
enthusiastic people I’ve ever
seen,” he said. “He lives politics.
I’ve watched him blossom into a
great future leader in the
Republican Party.”
Although Dreiling, along with
the other 29 delegates, cast his
vote for George W. Bush, the
Texas governor was not his first
choice.
During the primary season, he
supported Sen. John McCain, R
Ariz., whose insurgent challenge
to Bush fell short.
1 think McCain appealed to a
lot of young people because he
was viewed as an outsider who
was willing to take on the system,”
Dreiling said.
Dreiling also believed
McCain was the best candidate to
strengthen the military and handle
foreign policy. Those issues are
important to Dreiling because
both of his parents served in the
Air Force, and his sister is an
Army veteran of the Gulf War.
But Dreiling committed to
support the winner of the
Nebraska primary, and he has had
no difficulty shifting his support
to Bush, he said.
“My support of McCain had
nothing to do with my not liking
any other candidate,” he said. “I
think Busk is going to be a very
capable president.”
Bush’s selection of former
Secretary of Defense Dick
Cheney as his running mate
helped reassure Dreiling that
Bush could handle military and
foreign policy issues, he said.
“I don’t think he selected
Cheney as a running mate for the
campaign season,” he said. “His
pick of Cheney was based more
on the next four years of govern
ing” „
Dreiling has worked for
numerous political campaigns in
Nebraska since moving to the
state in 1987. He has worked in
Rep. Lee Terry’s office in
Hagel takes national
stage at convention
By Brian Carlson
Staff writer
PHILADELPHIA - Sens.
John McCain and Chuck Hagel
shared a national stage this week,
celebrating their longtime
friendship and demonstrating the
impact both men have had on the
political scene this year.
On Tuesday night, Hagel, R
Neb., introduced McCain, R
Ariz., his friend and fellow
Vietnam War veteran, to a cheer
ing crowd at the Republican
National Convention in
Philadelphia’s First Union
Center. After Hagel’s nationally
televised introductory speech,
the two men embraced on the
podium.
In their own ways, both men
have played highly visible roles
in this week’s convention.
During his primary chal
lenge to Texas Gov. George W.
Bush, McCain captured the pub
lic’s imagination, creating record
turnouts in several primaries
while drawing the support of
many voters from outside his
party. But his underdog quest,
which ultimately failed when he
was unable to gather enough sup
port from rank-and-file
Republicans, led to months of
bitterness between him and
Bush.
On Tuesday night, even as he
re-emphasized his campaign
message of restoring the public’s
trust in government, McCain
firmly endorsed Bush.
Hagel, who supported
McCain during the primaries,
saw his stature grow while mak
ing frequent appearances to
stump for him. He was one of
several Republicans Bush con
Washington, and he has helped
with campaigns by Terry, Sen.
Chuck Hagel, former lieutenant
governor candidate Elliott Rustad,
former Senate candidate Jan
Stoney and former gubernatorial
candidate John Breslow.
Dreiling will return to UNL
for the spring 2001 semester,
where he will resume his study of
international affairs and econom
ics. He has about two semesters
left.
Although he said politics
always will be part of his life, he is
not sure whether he ever will seek
sidered as a running mate before
settling on former Secretary of
Defense Dick Cheney, and he
has been mentioned as a possible
secretary of Defense in a Bush
administration.
On Tuesday, Hagel entered
the stage to die strains of “Battle
Hymn of the Republic.”
Speaking in booming, spirited
tones, Hagel praised McCain's
courage and leadership, calling
U Cynicism is
suffocating the
ideals of many
Americans,
especially
among our
young”
John McCain
Senator, Arizona
him “an American hero.”
As a fighter pilot during the
Vietnam War, McCain was shot
down and held captive in Hanoi
for five and a half years. Hagel,
who himself was wounded while
serving in Vietnam, recalled vis
iting a statue of McCain in
Vietnam during a visit last year.
“For five and a half years, the
North Vietnamese tortured and
beat him,” he said. “They broke
his body. But they could not
break his spirit. They could not
break his faith, his unconquer
able faith in America, the faith
Please see HAGEL on 5
political office.
“I don’t think political offices
are something to be sought after
just for personal glory,” he said.
“They should only be sought after
if you have an interest in serving
the public. If I ever ran for office,
it would have to be for the right
reasons.”
For now, Dreiling is content to
savor the thrills of his fust stint as
a national convention delegate.
“It’s something I’ll always
treasure, and I thank everyone in
Nebraska who had the faith in me
to send me to the convention.”
More convention coverage on pages 8 and 9