DNC, Fla. commit to seating delegates but no plan forthcoming

Representatives of the Florida Democratic Party on Wednesday met with Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), to discuss the impasse over seating the state’s delegates at this summer’s convention.

Both Dean and the state party representatives emerged saying they are committed to seating the state’s delegates, a statement Dean has made repeatedly — and one that is contingent upon support from both campaigns.

{mosads}Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (N.Y.) campaign, which has been pushing for the DNC to either honor the Jan. 29 results or hold a re-vote, said it found the discussion “encouraging” and again called on Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) to work toward a resolution for both Florida and Michigan.

Robert Gibbs, an Obama spokesman, said: “Obviously it has always been our goal to seat the delegates.” Gibbs added that Wednesday’s developments, or lack thereof, are “very consistent with what we’d like to see happen.”

— S.Y.

Disturbing calls — speaking of which …

In recent months, campaign reporters have spent hours on the phone with representatives of the two Democratic presidential campaigns engaged in almost daily conference calls. And depending on whom you ask, they have been relatively free of obscenity.

Until Wednesday.

The day after April Fools’ Day, late into an hour-long call with senior advisers to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in which the campaign announced its second “3 a.m. phone call” ad, the call’s participants got a jolt from a different kind of caller.

The questioner asked senior campaign strategist Mark Penn and communications director Howard Wolfson if the ad would be more effective if Clinton “would talk sexy.” Clinton does not actually speak during the ad except for the required approval tag.

The caller went on to suggest, with what can only be described as a disturbing euphemism, what such a campaign strategy might cause him to do, before adding a comment about Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) ears.

Wolfson said he and his deputy, Phil Singer, were discussing some sort of pool for reporters who wanted to write in and guess the news organization responsible for the breach (or prank).

Given that Obama attorney Bob Bauer was the last person to crash a Clinton conference call, he might well find himself a suspect. At least until Howard Stern comes forward.

— S.Y.