For Obama, The Right Way to Win

This is not a judgment about who was right and who was wrong in this arcane fight. It's a strategic point about what kind of attitude and effort it will take to reunite a party whose voters have been split down the middle.

Obama does not need to, should not and almost surely will not offer the vice presidency to Clinton. The chemistry between them is too frosty and the level of trust nonexistent -- not to mention that the White House is not big enough to accommodate three people who believe they should be president.

Still, there are numerous ways Obama can help smooth things over, and there are signs, in his recent public statements and private conversations, that he is taking such steps. The Clinton campaign has fumed that it has not been given enough credit for the outpouring of new Democratic voters. It was annoyed that the Obama campaign kept pounding on Clinton's ill-advised remark about Robert F. Kennedy -- even after she apologized. It was even more steamed that Obama did not apologize to Clinton herself after she had been ridiculed by the Rev. Michael Pfleger in an appearance May 25 at Obama's (now former) church.

Finally, in recent days the tone has started to change. In a conversation this week with an uncommitted superdelegate, Obama was effusive in his praise of his opponent and what her campaign achieved. The other day, Obama said he had spoken with Clinton and offered to meet "at a time and place of her choosing."

He could have been channeling Grant.

marcusr@washpost.com