Beyond the Dome

As the eyes of the nation turn to one Illinois senator tomorrow night, it is the other Illinois senator — the one who happens to be the second-ranking member of the Democratic leadership — who will step into a supporting role that he says he’s happy to play.

It’s an interesting time to be Sen. Richard J. Durbin these days. A second-term senator whose sharp communications skills vaulted him quickly into the top ranks of the Senate leadership, Durbin will introduce the biographical video of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who just joined him in the Senate three and a half years ago.

Durbin is the Senate majority whip, which means he has plenty to do trying to help Majority Leader Harry Reid force legislation through the easily gridlocked Senate. But he has also been one of Obama’s closest allies from the time he launched his presidential campaign in January 2007. And now, Durbin is acting as a liaison between the Obama team and the Senate, keeping Obama advised about floor business and keeping his Senate colleagues up to speed on the latest campaign plans.

It’s the kind of backup role that could be hard to accept for other senators, most of whom have a pretty high regard for themselves. Durbin, however, seems to have accepted his role gracefully. In lending a hand to Obama at his time of victory, Durbin says he’s just doing what any good friend would do.

“Barack is my friend. I asked him to do this, I told him I would help him, and I couldn’t be prouder of him as a result of his winning the nomination,” Durbin said. “I’ve never had any ambition to run for president. I want to make sure we have a good one, though, and I think he’s the best.”

Durbin describes the relationship in sports terms: “It’s like I’ve been a baseball team for a long time, I’m a good hitter, and along time this rookie MVP who is winning every game for us and we’re on our way to the World Series.”

But Durbin also looks at Obama’s nomination as a story of how quickly one’s life can change after hitting rock bottom. When Obama gives his acceptance speech at Invesco Field tomorrow, Durbin says he’ll be thinking about Obama’s experience at the 2000 Democratic convention in Los Angeles. Obama writes about the story in “The Audacity of Hope”: The rental car company wouldn’t accept his credit card, which was maxed out from his failed run for Congress that year. He couldn’t get floor credentials. Eventually, he left before the convention was even over.

Even in 2004, the story could have turned out much differently. “Four years ago, he got up to give a speech, and people couldn’t pronounce his name. They were handed signs with O-B-A-M-A on them, and they didn’t know what to say,” Durbin said.

“When he left, though, things changed, and they changecd dramatically. In such as short period of time, he’s come such a long way. It says a lot about him, and about our party, and about this country.”