Dean says superdelegates are free agents

"They should use whatever yardstick they want," Dean said in an interview at party headquarters. "That's what the rules provide for."

Asked about Hillary Rodham Clinton's suggestion that superdelegates should exercise independent judgment and not feel bound by the standings after June 3 -- the day the nominating season ends -- Dean replied: "That's what the rules say, and I enforce the rules."

He also said superdelegates were free to weigh the disputed primary results in Florida and Michigan, two states that New York Sen. Clinton carried in the absence of campaigning by rival Barack Obama. The two campaigns have spent weeks wrangling over a plan that would seat delegates from those states, which voted earlier than the party allowed.

Although his comments amounted to a restatement of party rules, Dean's stance undercut an argument pressed by Illinois Sen. Obama and his backers. They have said the candidate who has the most pledged delegates should automatically win the support of any uncommitted superdelegates after the primary balloting ends.

Earlier Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) appeared to back away from that view.

"These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win," Pelosi said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

A spokesman later denied that Pelosi was shifting her view.

"Her position all along has been that these individual superdelegates will consider many issues when making a choice," Nadeam Elshami said. "However, if it is perceived that the superdelegates as a whole overturn the will of the people, that would be harmful to the Democratic Party."

Pelosi -- who like Dean has remained neutral in the nominating fight -- recently angered some Clinton supporters when she seconded Obama's position that superdelegates should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates. Several major Democratic donors sent Pelosi a letter last week objecting to that stance.