Live from Chicago: Senator Durbin addresses attendees by video

We're currently listening to Senator Dick Durbin's video address in the grand ballroom here at the Hyatt McCormick Place. Durbin is praising the netroots' role in electing Jon Tester and Jim Webb, thanking bloggers for helping defend Ambassador Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame, and inviting the community to participate in dialogue about issues such as municipal broadband.

Durbin couldn't attend in person because he is working in Washington, D.C. and is embarking on a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq tomorrow.