DENVER (Colorado): Democrats meeting here to crown Senator Barack Obama as their presidential candidate at the party convention, which kicked off yesterday, are in for a spell of turbulent weather.

A massive funnel of swirling red dust slammed down about 30km south of Denver, uprooting some trees. More tornadoes are expected as the party meets, although weathermen say such storms will cause mostly shock and awe from hailstones and crackling lightning.

A political twister is on the horizon as well and the question is whether the Democratic tent is sturdy enough to withstand its fury.

Disgruntled supporters of Mr Obama's rival in the brutal primary battle will march in the downtown area today, setting off a million camera flashes on what has remained a very public inter-party rift.

Hours later, Senator Hillary Clinton herself is to step up on the painstakingly crafted, futuristic-looking stage at the convention centre to deliver her speech.

Word is that she plans to make a symbolic gesture to 'release' the 1,896 delegates pledged to her to vote as they wish.

Not all in the Clinton tribe are ready to move on, however. 'Some women are still angry,' said Ms Ellen Malcolm, the president of Emily's List, the 100,000- strong women's network which had canvassed hard for Mrs Clinton. 'But it's a decreasing number and by the time we get out of the convention, it will be a very small group.'

Mr Seth Masket, a 39-year-old Obama delegate from Denver, said: 'It will help that she's freeing up her delegates. But some will still want to vote for her.'

If an array of polls is to be believed, one in five of the 18 million Americans who voted for Mrs Clinton in the primaries say they might now vote for Republican John McCain.

Another poll, conducted after Mr Obama's selection of Mr Joe Biden as his running mate, shows that 27 per cent of Mrs Clinton's supporters have switched their loyalty to Mr McCain. A month ago, that number was 17 per cent.

The disaffection is believed to have arisen because Mr Obama did not co-opt his defeated-but-not-submissive rival as his running mate.

The Obama response has been to put up a brave front and a 'whip team'.

In an interview with local daily, The Denver Post, Mr Obama praised Mrs Clinton for her help with his campaign.

'She couldn't be more gracious and more supportive,' said the man who likes to bill himself as the 'unity' candidate.

But he also has a crisis strategy for tonight, when the 'catharsis' sought by her fans is expected to play out. At the first sign of any trouble from Clinton supporters on the convention floor, a 40-member rapid response squad led by ex-Clinton aide Craig Smith will leap into action. Their weapon? Obama banners for the cameras to zoom in on.

But a voice harder to muffle belongs to former president Bill Clinton. He is reportedly unhappy at being asked to spend his minutes in the sun tomorrow to talk about national security.

He would much rather talk about the economy - the highlight of his term. But that was also his wife's selling point during her campaign and the Obama camp is set against it. However, Mr Clinton may still spring a surprise once he is on stage.

But at the same time, Mrs Clinton can ill afford to alienate Mr Obama - she needs his help to retire her US$20 million (S$28 million) debt.

The assumption in the Obama camp is that the Clintons will be held in check by two other families in the party. One, the most famous in the land - the Kennedys.

Senator Edward Kennedy, who vested the mantle of his brother John F. Kennedy on Mr Obama in the heat of the primaries, can make a surprise appearance at the convention centre, despite his on-going battle with brain cancer .

The Massachusetts senator is said to have landed in Denver late Sunday night.

The other family in aid of the party's official candidate is Mr Obama's own. Mrs Michelle Obama, no mean speaker herself and a camera magnet with her poise, is the first night's prime speaker. She is expected to flesh out Mr Obama (in the past, she spoke of his stale morning breath) as a regular guy - not a celebrity or an exotic creature - for the voters.

Voters have lately been hedging on Mr Obama's candidature after giving him a 7-point lead over Mr McCain after the primaries.

The running mate announcement last Saturday has failed to produce a bounce and he is deadlocked with Mr McCain in the polls.

The Republicans have pounced on the Democratic fissure through an ad suggesting Mr Obama did not team up with Mrs Clinton despite her popularity because she had been critical of him.

That gambit will prompt the Democrats to consolidate, some hope. After all, nothing brings a family together like a common enemy can, right?.

bhagya@sph.com.sg