I thought my hotel was a long way from Charlotte. Sen. Dick Durbin told the Illinois delegation his hotel was 12 miles away from South Carolina. So much for senatorial clout.

Durbin told delegates he was pleased to be asked to introduce President Obama before his critical acceptance speech tonight. It is a familiar role for Durbin. This will be the third Democratic convention where Durbin has introduced Obama.

“Little did I know what would happen next,” Durbin said of his introduction of Obama in Boston in 2004. “What happened next changed the course of politics.”

Durbin had been one of the first to encourage then-Senator Obama to run for President. When he told Obama he thought he should run, Durbin said Obama's first two questions were: “What about my girls, and what about my security?” Fortunately, both questions were resolved, said Durbin.

Durbin told delegates the Charlotte convention had highlighted the differences between the Republicans and Democrats.

“They think we're all in this alone; we know we're all in this together,” he said.

As he left the breakfast to work on his introduction, Durbin told me:

As for his own political future, Durbin says he loves the state and loves politics, but won't make a final decision on whether he will run for re-election until next year.