Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is eyeing June as the end of the Democratic nominating process, and appears to be laying the groundwork for the eventual "healing" her advisers keep promising will follow the nominating contest, judging by a round of interviews she gave during her West Virginia victory lap on Wednesday.

Asked whether the intraparty fight will still be ongoing at the convention in August, Clinton said in an interview with Brian Williams on NBC's Nightly News: "I think we'll have a nominee. I really believe that. But again, we'll know a lot more on June 4." In another interview, with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "Situation Room," Clinton said it would be a "terrible mistake" for Democrats to vote for Sen. John McCain over Sen. Barack Obama if she is not the nominee herself.

"Anybody who has ever voted for me or voted for Barack has much more in common in terms of what we want to see happen in our country and in the world with the other than they do with John McCain," Clinton said. "I'm going to work my heart out for whoever our nominee is -- obviously I'm still hoping to be that nominee, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that anyone who supported me ... understands what a grave error it would be not to vote for Sen. Obama."

Clinton also agreed with the assessment by Rep. Charlie Rangel that her comments about hard-working white people last week were the "dumbest thing" she could have said.

"He's probably right," Clinton said.

Clinton spent Wednesday meeting with various supporters and waverers -- committed superdelegates and undecided superdelegates on Capitol Hill, followed by fundraisers at her house. She is scheduled to fly to South Dakota and Oregon for campaign stops in the next few days.

By Anne E. Kornblut, The Washington Post, May 14, 2008