Under terms of a compromise agreed to by Michigan Democrats and brought before the national committee, Obama was given 29.5 delegates, though he was one of several Democratic presidential candidates who removed their names from the Jan. 15 ballot. The panel also reduced by four delegates the number Clinton, who left her name on the ballot, had expected to receive.
Clinton supporters in the crowd broke into chants of "Denver, Denver," a sign of their desire to carry the rules fight to the convention in late August. But comments from Clinton's campaign and some of her supporters on the DNC suggested that she might not pursue the matter, once the passions of the primary season have cooled.
The panel also approved Florida's request to have its delegation restored at the national convention, netting Clinton 19 delegates more than Obama. But the Clinton camp's attempt to give her double that number was defeated, the first public indication that the panel had rejected her position and would side with Obama.
With the final elections of the five-month primary season taking place over the next three days, the general election campaign for the White House could begin in earnest as soon as midweek.
Obama plans to stage a victory rally Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., the site of this summer's Republican National Convention, signaling his intention to shift his focus to the fall drive against likely Republican nominee John McCain.
Obama will still need about 25 or 30 additional superdelegate endorsements to reach his goal of becoming the first African-American nominee of a major party, after the results of the last primaries are factored in, according to estimates by his campaign and nonaligned Democrats. The rules committee action effectively moved the goal line in the nomination contest, increasing the number of delegates needed to win to 2,118 from 2,026.
The first scene of the primary season's final act played out yesterday during a tumultuous session of a normally obscure party committee, punctuated by frequent applause or jeers from Clinton or Obama backers.
Hundreds of Clinton supporters rallied outside in a last-ditch effort to sway the 28 officials working to resolve the Michigan and Florida disputes.
A handful of committee members who had not endorsed either candidate held the balance of power in the talks, though one of them tipped her hand relatively early in the day.
