Senator Barack Obama began trying to rally the Democratic Party around him on Thursday and struck a tougher tone against Senator John McCain, saying Mr McCain was “losing his bearings” in his pursuit of the White House.
Even as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton persisted with her campaign, Obama made a celebratory return to the Capitol, where he received an enthusiastic reception on the House floor in an appearance staged to position him as the party’s inevitable nominee.

Behind the scenes, there were new discussions between Obama and the party leadership. Senior Democratic officials said he met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi when their paths crossed at Democratic Party headquarters. They had spoken by telephone earlier in the week. Pelosi and Clinton have had no known recent talks.
Addressing concern among some Democrats that Clinton would fight on to the national convention in late August, Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Clinton campaign, suggested that the race would end quickly after the final primaries early next month.

“After June 3, this is going to come to a conclusion,” McAuliffe said on NBC’s “Today” programme.
Obama made no public effort to pressure Clinton from the race, and in interviews with CNN and NBC News he praised her as a formidable candidate who could not yet be counted out.

But he said that he was likely to lock up a majority of the pledged delegates after the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on May 20, and that at that point he could declare victory.

While he was respectful to Clinton, Obama seemed eager to challenge McCain. Asked about McCain’s statement that the Hamas would favour Obama’s election, he said it was offensive and called it a smear.