Democrats Still Struggling With Whole 'Party Unity' Thing

Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean and Harry Reid have a point to make. About John McCain. (By Alex Wong -- Getty Images)

That strategy left the leaders making, well, ballpark generalizations about Obama. "He is truly an all-star," Reid submitted. "If we were talking about baseball, this man can run the bases, he hits for the long ball, he's really good at picking out singles, he's somebody that's a team player."

"We can be such an integral part of this team," offered West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.

"We're all on the same team," announced Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.).

The Democrats treaded gingerly around Clinton. Each time her name was praised, the group broke into applause, with the exception of Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.), who held a newspaper in one hand and thumbed his BlackBerry with the other.

"Her knowledge, her eloquence, her stamina, her commitment to the future made us all very proud," Pelosi gushed. In her eagerness to praise Clinton, Pelosi lost track of what day it was. "Today, in case you didn't know it, June 2nd, is the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act," she said. "We want all of those women who came out for Hillary Clinton -- and for Barack Obama, but those especially for Hillary Clinton -- to know that the work goes on."

But happy words alone may not be enough to win over the disaffected Clinton crowd: women and blue-collar white voters. Hence the need to raise the Bush-McCain specter. Pelosi argued that "women and blue-collar workers, whatever their race, have the most to gain by the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States and the most to lose by the election of John McCain."

Dean opened with the theme: "Senator McCain represents more of the same failed Bush policies. . . . Senator McCain has been one of Bush's staunchest allies. . . . He makes President Bush look like the model of fiscal discipline."

Pelosi followed that with a call-and-response routine. "On George Bush's watch we have lost 325,000 jobs just this year, and John McCain says four more years. On Bush's watch, gas prices have skyrocketed above $4 a gallon, and John McCain says four more years. On Bush's watch one in 10 Americans are at risk of losing their homes. . . . John McCain says four more years."

Reid followed that with a discussion of "this surreal world that John McCain has signed on to," where gas prices are high and torture is kept hush-hush.

CNN's Kathleen Koch pointed out the difficulty in wooing Clinton voters, who "may stay home and not vote, or they may vote for Senator McCain."

"This is not just about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton," Dean answered. "This is about undoing the incredible damage of eight years of Bush-McCain policies, Bush-McCain economic policies . . . Bush-McCain environmental policies . . . Bush-McCain foreign policies."

Dean followed that run with a prediction: "I have every confidence we will be united by the fall election." Against McCain, if not for Obama.