DNC chair seeks June end to Clinton-Obama race

MONTPELIER, Vt.—Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean says the key to Democrats winning the White House lies is unity -- whichever candidate ends up winning the nomination.

In an appearance on "Meet the Press," Dean -- the chairman of the Democratic National Committee -- said Sunday he hopes the nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is over by the end of June, to give time for the party to gear up for the Nov. 4 election against Republican John McCain.

"The truth is, we need to figure this out before the convention. We need time to heal. And actually, I'm not the most important person in terms of bringing the party together. The most important person is the, is the person who doesn't win the nomination," he said.

Clinton, who won the Pennsylvania primary last week, currently trails in delegates and the popular vote heading into May 6 contests in Indiana and North Carolina.

If Democrats are divided going into their national convention Aug. 25 in Denver, they'll probably be divided after it, too, according to Dean.

Dean, who lost out on his bid for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004, says the only way to ensure that cooperation is for both the losing candidate and the winning candidate to feel the system was fair.

Dean said he feels like a referee in the NCAA basketball finals in that he has to make sure there's a level playing field.