WASHINGTON — A Democratic National Convention that is supposed to showcase Barack Obama will devote a considerable amount of time to Hillary Rodham Clinton and her family, with the two campaigns announcing an agreement Thursday to formally enter her name into nomination.
The development means that during the state-by-state vote on a nominee for president, delegates will have the option of choosing Clinton rather than Obama -- giving supporters a chance to cheer her candidacy one last time.
Barring an unforeseen collapse on Obama's part, Clinton won't win; Obama wound up with 136 more delegates than needed to clinch the nomination, and there are no signs of any defections.
But the purpose of the exercise is to resolve a nagging political problem for the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party. Since Obama locked down the nomination in June, some Clinton loyalists have been slow to embrace his candidacy. The two campaigns believe that by setting aside time to acknowledge Clinton, the party stands a better chance of avoiding a fractious scene on the convention floor and of emerging from the convention united.
Aides to Clinton and Obama said the two sides had been working cooperatively and were both satisfied with the arrangement.
"With every voice heard and the party strongly united, we will elect Sen. Obama president of the United States," Clinton said in a statement released by the two campaigns.
Clinton had pointed to the restiveness of her supporters in an appearance at a private home last month, saying they needed "a catharsis" before falling in line behind Obama. A video of Clinton's remarks was posted on YouTube.
Now that the four-day convention schedule is taking shape, it is clear that the Clinton family will have a prominent role.
If past practice holds, Clinton will be the focus of nominating and seconding speeches by people she designates before the roll-call vote.
Clinton herself will address the delegates in prime time on the second night of the convention, Tuesday, Aug. 26. Her husband, former President Clinton, will speak the following night. Discussions are also taking place about whether daughter Chelsea Clinton will get a speaking slot.
Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, a public policy research center at Stanford University, said: "Obama's people know that they have not closed the deal with Hillary voters the way they would like, and they just can't afford to do anything -- real or perceived -- that upsets Mrs. Clinton and her followers. So they have more than bent over to accommodate her."
