The Illinois delegation’s main hotel, the Omni, is right in the heart of the action in Charlotte. Big name Democrats periodically stride through the Omni lobby, usually trailed by a scrum of reporters. I joined the scrum around Sen. John Kerry.

Kerry, who will service as the Romney stand-in for Obama's debate prep, knows what it's like to run for President after his failed 2004 election. Kerry, who is on tap for a podium speech with a foreign policy emphasis tonight, says the pitfall he worries about after the convention is an October surprise.