Florida and Michigan compromise likely

Washington: The Democratic Party were looking for a compromise over disputed convention delegates from Florida and Michigan yesterday in what could be Hillary Clinton's last chance to gain ground on Barack Obama.

The party's rules committee wades into the fight over the two delegations, which are barred from the August nominating convention in a dispute Clinton has made a rallying cry for her fading nomination bid.

Clinton faces an uphill battle in the 30-member panel to win her demand that the delegations be seated at the convention with full voting rights. Obama supports alternatives that would seat fewer delegates.

The meeting, to be held in a Washington hotel, promises plenty of fireworks. At issue is a rules committee decision last year to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates because they held nominating contests, both won by Clinton, earlier than party rules allowed.

Obama is close to clinching the nomination and could have the 2,026 delegates he needs on Tuesday, when Montana and South Dakota hold the last contests.

But adding Florida's and Michigan's delegates to the mix would boost the number of delegates needed to win the nomination to 2,210.

Iraq debate

Meanwhile, Obama and Republican John McCain fought a fierce political duel over Iraq. Each man questioned the other's qualifications to serve as commander in chief, sparring over the US troop surge escalation strategy, and future of the war.

Obama's team accused McCain of using troops as a political prop, after he sent out a fundraising e-mail featuring a picture of him shaking hands with war commander General David Petraeus.

Obama's ears too big

Even in the middle of a fierce presidential campaign, Barack Obama couldn't resist the opportunity to go on a field trip.

When the Democratic White House hopeful heard the press corps and some staff members were planning a late-night trip to see Mount Rushmore National Monument, he decided he didn't want to be left out.

So, shortly after arriving in South Dakota after an evening campaign rally in Montana, Obama made the 30-minute car trip to see the Rushmore monument, of four presidents chiselled into the side of a massive granite outcropping.

Obama laughed when asked if he could imagine his face chiselled into the granite some day. "I don't think my ears would fit," he said. "There's only so much rock up there."