AUGUSTA – Blending sharp criticism of the policies of President George Bush with hope about the future, Maine Democrats gathered this weekend with the goal of charting a successful course for their party this fall.

The Democratic Party’s state convention was a chance for party delegates and officials to address party business such as amending the party platform and picking delegates to go to the national convention in Denver in August. But for those more interested in political theater than parliamentary process, it also was an opportunity to pump up the faithful and give those seeking their party’s nomination the chance to make their cases about why they should be elected in November to go to Washington.

The keynote speaker Saturday night was not a candidate, however. It was Dick Durbin, the U.S. senator from Illinois.

Durbin incorporated some Maine history into his speech to help make the case for the presidential aspirations of the other U.S. senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. Durbin talked about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Brewer native and Bowdoin College professor who went on to become a hero in the Civil War and then governor of Maine.

Durbin said Chamberlain’s central role in the Union victory at Gettysburg was key to helping keep the country together. And, as Abraham Lincoln served as president during the Civil War, it was time to elect another president from his home state.

“It was a crucial victory in a critical battle that turned the tide of war and eventually enabled a president from Illinois to become leader of a reunited America,” Durbin said. “Now another leader from Illinois needs the men and women of Maine to help him win a battle so that together we can unite our nation again, restore the hope and opportunity that America truly presents.”

Durbin said that he is in awe of the tenacity, determination and skill Sen. Hillary Clinton has shown in her presidential campaign, but said Democrats will unite behind whoever wins the nomination.

“Our focus is stopping a Bush-Cheney third term,” he said, referring to the president and to Vice President Dick Cheney. Durbin and other speakers at the convention said that if Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain wins in November, he will continue the policies of the current administration.

Bush has not been responsive to the effect of escalating energy costs on average Americans, according to Durbin. The president has used his veto power to oppose stem-cell research, the S-CHIP federal health care plan for children, and efforts on the Democratic side to end the war in Iraq.

By electing Tom Allen to the Senate instead of Republican incumbent Susan Collins, Durbin said, Mainers can help create a Democratic majority that can override presidential vetoes. Since Democrats gained control of the U.S. House and Senate in 2006, the Senate Republicans have set a record by using filibusters 73 times to kill bills.

“Until you send me a Democratic senator from Maine, we’re not going to be able to stop these filibusters,” Durbin said.

Allen, he said, can help the Senate pursue an energy policy that will encourage energy independence, will help end the war in Iraq, and has proposed a plan to provide Americans with universal access to affordable health care.

Before the end of his speech, Durbin referred to the lesser-known Democrat hoping to win his party’s nomination in the Senate race, Tom Ledue of Sanford. Though he endorsed Allen, Durbin thanked Ledue and Ledue’s family for being part of the process.

Ledue spoke before Durbin, but did not refer to Allen or Collins or even to George Bush, aside from making an indirect comment about “an unchecked imperial presidency.” Instead, Ledue spoke mostly in optimistic terms about the possibilities for the future.

Ledue described himself as an “uncommon candidate.” He acknowledged that he is new to politics, but said that he has demonstrated the necessary leadership skills through the his personal life as a teacher, school administrator, family man and wilderness guide.

“Washington is failing us,” Ledue said. “Our nation’s moral compass has become clouded. We must renew our vision of what is possible.”

Many of the ideas espoused by Ledue mirror what other Democrats at the convention said they support. He called for an energy-stable economy based on clean, renewable power and said America should pull out of Iraq “quickly, responsibly and with honor.” Americans should have universal health care, he said, and fair trade standards should be pursued to help stop the outsourcing of jobs and the exploitation of the global environment.

Ledue also said some problems could be addressed with the help of a program in which students could earn two years of in-state, postsecondary education with one year of national service.

“My candidacy is about reaching beyond politics as usual, to bridge the gap between our people and their government so that both may partner to reclaim the promise of America,” he said. “Modest changes made possible by collective will, innovation and bold leadership will change our future.”

Allen referred directly to his political rivals. He briefly mentioned Ledue’s excitement without criticizing his primary opponent, but he reiterated some of the criticism he has had for Sen. Collins, whom his campaign expects to face in November.

He said he respects Collins and is sure that she cares about Maine, but emphasized their differing views on the Iraq war.

“I voted against the Iraq war in 2002, and she voted for it,” Allen said.

He also said that before 2006, when Collins chaired the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, she should have held hearings on contracting in Iraq and the performance of military contractors Halliburton and KBR.

“That was, quite simply, her job,” Allen said. “Susan Collins and I see the world very differently.”

Allen linked Collins to Bush and Cheney, saying she has voted for their economic policies 100 percent of the time, and to McCain, an ally of Collins whom he said would continue those policies.

Toward the end of his speech, Allen got the crowd involved by having them finish his sentences with his name.

“If you believe we need to keep our troops in harm’s way in Iraq and keep spending $12 billion a month in an endless religious civil war there, vote for Susan Collins,” he said. “But if you believe we need to set a deadline to bring our troops home, vote for …”

“… Tom Allen!” the crowd yelled.

He repeated this pattern as he addressed the issues of affordable universal health care, civil liberties and energy independence. Allen said he supports all these goals, but that a vote for Collins is a vote against them.