BREAKING: Dean wants closure by July 1

A potential game-changer from CBS News and "The Early Show." Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says he wants superdelegates to make a decision by JULY 1 -- the most specific he has been in his effort to prod the party to decide between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton before the Democratic National Convention in late August.

Harry Smith asked if after the nominating contests end with the South Dakota and Montana primaries on June 3, "Do you want the superdelegates to have some sort of vote immediately so that you'll know months in advance of the convention what the outcome is?”

Dean replied: “Well, I think the superdelegates have already been weighing in. I think that there's 800 of them and 450 of them have already said who they're for. I'd like the other 350 to say who they're at some point between now and the first of July so we don't have to take this into the convention.”

An aide explains that July 1 is not a drop-dead deadline: "The point is before the convention, ideally in June."

Dean has been criticized for not taking a heavier hand in ending the bruising contest.

The aide elaborates on the chairman's thinking: "Dean is personally engaged in this process, he's had numerous conversations with over 60 leaders inside and outside of the Democratic Party, to hear their thoughts, get their input and encourage them to help reinforce the importance of keeping the party united behind our nominee in November. ... He does not want to discuss those conversations publicly because in Washington, you can work behind the scenes and not worry about getting credit and actually get something done -- or you can talk about it in the press and not get anything done. But ... he wants to see this resolved before the convention and will encourage the superdelegates to make their choice known once the voters in the remaining states have had their say."

In an interview with AP's Nedra Pickler, Dean also made it clear he wants to get the show on the road. "There'll be some nasty fights if it goes to convention, and people will walk out," he told Nedra. "But I've also been talking to a fairly significant number of, by and large, nonaligned people about how we might resolve this." Nedra adds: "Dean wouldn't talk in detail about what the plan is, but it likely involves encouraging superdelegates to pick a candidate shortly after the voting ends."

So June 3-July 1 is your window, ladies and gents.

Full Harry Smith interview apres le jump.

See Also

CBS News, "The Early Show"

HARRY SMITH: “Joining us is Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Good morning, Dr. Dean.”

HOWARD DEAN: “Harry, thanks for having me on.”

HARRY SMITH: “There's a lot of ill will growing among Democrats. Polls show a significant number of supporters of both candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, say that they will switch to John McCain if their candidate is not chosen. How are you going to put this back together again?”

DEAN: “Well, I think the candidates have got to understand that they have an obligation to our country to unify. Somebody's going to lose this race with 49.8 percent of the vote. And that person has got to pull their supporters in behind the nominee. That's our obligation, because in the end this is not about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It's about our country. We're not going to have four more years of George W. Bush, which is essentially what McCain is offering us. There's a really big difference between our candidates on these issues. And I don't believe for a moment that at the end of the day, the Democrats are going to vote for somebody who's going to put more right-wingers on the Supreme Court. But we do need to keep in mind that personal attacks now, often do have the seeds of demoralization later on. So I want to make sure this campaign stays on the high ground.”

SMITH: “OK -- well, you're coming on morning television this morning to say this. Have you talked to both candidates or talked at least to their people?”

DEAN: “I have done both. I'm not going to say how those conversations went. I have good relationships with both candidates. and I think they would both be excellent presidents.”

SMIITH: “Have they pledged to tone down the rhetoric?”

DEAN: “Well, you know, I’m not going to get into who said what on the telephone calls. But I think that it's important that we understand this is not, again, about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It's about a change for our country. it's about $3.50 gas prices, it’s about staying in Iraq for 100 years, it’s about a hands-off –”

SMITH: “Well, [the nominating] season is over. Do you want the superdelegates to have some sort of vote immediately so that you'll know months in advance of the convention what the outcome is?”

DEAN: “Well, I think the superdelegates have already been weighing in. I think that there's 800 of them and 450 of them have already said who they're for. I'd like the other 350 to say who they're at some point between now and the first of July so we don't have to take this into the convention.”

SMITH: “Dr. Dean, thank you so much for the time.”

Mike Allen is chief White House correspondent for Politico.