DEMOCRATIC Party chairman Howard Dean has appealed for unity after a decision this weekend on the disputed states of Florida and Michigan that all but ends Hillary Clinton's election hopes.
Mrs Clinton had hoped that the two states, which she won, would be reinstated to the primary process after being banned for changing their election dates without permission.
The party's rules and byways committee acceded to her request, but gave e
ach of the state delegates only half a vote, ensuring that she was unable to make up ground on front-runner Barack Obama.
Mr Obama has a 174-delegate lead and needs 68 delegates to win the nomination, a figure he is likely to achieve in the next few days as the final primary votes are held.
But the bigger problem for the party top brass is to bring the two sides together in what was a bitter nomination battle.
"We have got to come together and unite our party," said Mr Dean. "Every one of us has the responsibility to help ensure that our party is united."
The issue was contentious from the start. The rules committee suspended both states last year after they changed their primary dates without permission. Florida and Michigan held their elections anyway, delivering hefty majorities for Mrs Clinton. By last weekend her delegate deficit to Mr Obama was such that only with Florida and Michigan in the mix could she hope to stay in the race.
The decision to give only half votes has stalled her attempt, and there is now no possibility of her catching Mr Obama's delegate count.
Her final, slender, hope is that she can convince almost all the estimated 228 party-appointed superdelegates to choose her.
But Mrs Clinton's representatives on Saturday's committee indicated she may appeal against the Florida and Michigan deci- sion. In a statement, Harold Ickes and Tina Flourney said: "We strongly object to the committee's decision to undercut its own rules."
An appeal would be heard by the party's credentials committee, which is due to meet in July. Mrs Clinton could also try to take the issue to the August convention in Denver.
Mr Obama's strategy is to win the election under the present rules this week, making it politically awkward for the result to be reversed.
But while Mr Obama's nomination seems assured, his problem of reconciling the two halves of a badly shaken party is just beginning.
Exit polls from recent primary contests show almost one third of Clinton supporters declaring they will not vote for Obama if he becomes the candidate. This despite the fact that the two candidates have near-identical policies on issues ranging from healthcare to Iraq.
The longer the primary contest dragged on, the more it became an issue of personalities, with the supporters of both candidates increasingly estranged.
