Clinton and Obama deadlocked after contests

With Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York virtually dividing the delegate count in the race for the Democratic nomination, the party leaders and faithful have a major dilemma on their hands: a tie ballgame heading into the convention.”I think we’re going to have a nominee by middle of March or April,.” Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said. “But if we don’t, then we’re gonna have to get the candidates together and make some kind of arrangement because I don’t think we can afford to have a brokered convention. That would not be good news for either party,” Dean added.Clinton, viewed last year as virtually unstoppable in her bid to become the U.S. Democratic presidential nominee, is now seeking to portray herself as the underdog against Obama.The Clinton campaign has labeled the Illinois senator the “establishment” candidate as she tries to expose him the in an attempt to bring change to Washington. But political analysts saw some irony in Clinton’s effort to seek the status of a challenger to the establishment, given that she has been a household name since her husband, Bill Clinton, ran for president in 1992.On the day after the Feb. 5 “Super Tuesday” nominating contests in which the two fought to a draw, Clinton aides said the former first lady had faced an uphill battle in some states because of Obama’s fundraising capability and the high-profile endorsements he had captured.”Senator Obama, really in the last couple of weeks ran an establishment campaign based on endorsements while he’s saying that he was in fact a change candidate,” said Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn, listing the endorsement of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, a senior figure in the party, as one of several advantages Obama had.Clinton, 60, who would be the first woman U.S. president, also made the point on the campaign trail in Maine Saturday. “He has increasingly relied on big endorsements and celebrities to sort of attach himself to, to get the kind of validation that comes from that sort of endorsement,” she said.Obama, 46, flared onto the national stage as an Illinois state legislator four years ago with an inspiring speech at the Democratic Party convention. Since then, Obama has portrayed himself as someone who can bring a new kind of politics to Washington that would bridge racial and partisan divides. However, Clinton has seized on the “change” message and insists her years of political experience would better equip her to transform Washington.As expected, it was a see-saw race on the Democratic side for Clinton and Obama on the most historic U.S. primary day, and either way, the Democratic nomination will make history.