Opinion: Howard Dean to superdelegates: Lasting Democratic discord will elect John McCain

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Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, warned again Sunday that Democratic superdelegates need to choose between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton before July 1, saying that party disunity could sink their chances in a year when Democratic presidential candidates have started with advantages.

‘The only thing that’s going to make John McCain president is disunity among Democrats,’ Dean said on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation,’ referring to the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Dean insisted that the Democrats have other factors working for them. ...

and contended that his party has a chance this year even in traditional Republican strongholds, including Montana and North Dakota. But he warned: ‘If it goes on -- if you go into the convention divided -- you’re probably going to come out of the convention divided.’

In a second Sunday appearance, on ABC’s ‘This Week,’ he said:

‘My view is this: Superdelegates get elected by the same people that elect the pledged delegates. So what I suggested is we have about 800 unpledged delegates, so-called superdelegates, and about 460 of them have already said who they are going to be for. So if the other 340 would say who they’re going to be for, then we’d be all set. ‘

Dean signaled that while he’s been issuing calls for the superdelegates to make up their minds, there is a limit to how much pressure he will bring because it is their right to choose a candidate. And there are still 10 contests to go, starting with Pennsylvania on April 22 and ending with Montana and South Dakota on June 3. ‘The voters ought to have their say,’ Dean told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

“We’re having record turnouts everywhere,” he told Bob Schieffer of CBS. “I think this is actually going to make it easier for us to win as long as we keep the party together.” Still, he said, “The ongoing dispute, while it’s healthy in the short run, needs to have an end.”

And the way things are going, that ‘end’ will come only when the superdelegates choose up sides.

-- Paul Richter