'It wasn't a contest, it was a foregone conclusion. They (the DNC leadership) just decided that Barack Obama was going to win,' said Mr Clunas, 51, of Seattle.

And he said he would boycott this year's election on November 4 because of the perceived unfairness of Mrs Clinton's defeat.

'It's going to be the first time since 1976 that I haven't voted. I just don't trust Obama. I think he'll do more harm than good.'

Just hours before Mrs Clinton was to address Democrats in a speech that party grandees hope will heal the schism caused by the nominating battle, Mr Clunas and more than 1,000 supporters of the former first lady marched through Denver to vent their anger.

They paid vocal tribute to her campaign, seething at the outcome of the bitter Democratic primary race in a final show of support for their beaten idol on the sidelines of the party's nominating convention.

'We're here to say thank you to Hillary and to protest the fraud perpetrated on us by the Democratic National Committee,' said Mr Clunas.

Ms Laurie Long, a 49-year-old human resources director for a Los Angeles non-profit organisation, said she felt betrayed by the leadership of the Democratic Party and did not trust Obama.

'We're here to tell the Democratic leadership that it's not okay to ignore 18 million voices,' Ms Long told sources, referring to the tally of popular votes accumulated by Mrs Clinton in the long primary battle.

Ms Long said she had doubts about Mr Obama's background and said she now planned to vote for Republican candidate John McCain in the election.

'I don't trust Obama. He flip-flops all the time. We don't know anything about his past. How do we know he's not some kind of militant? I'm voting for McCain,' Ms Long said.

Ms Andrea Biggs, a 19-year-old student from Seattle, expressed similar sentiments but said she was still undecided about who to vote for.

'There's a lot of us who feel pissed and angry at the party for the way Hillary was treated. There was a lot of sexism in the media and the whole process seemed rigged against her,' Ms Biggs said.

'At the moment I don't know who I am voting for. I want to be able to forgive Barack Obama, but what happened to Hillary bugs me. I don't know though that I could bring myself to vote for a Republican,' she added.

Mrs Clinton's name is to be added to a symbolic roll-call on Wednesday at the convention, and during a later rally on Tuesday about 20 supporters marched through Denver shouting 'we've got to swing the vote.'

They were met with derision and in some cases loud boos by crowds of Obama supporters milling around the shops under a summer sun.

But despite the pockets of rancour amongst the Clinton fanatics here on Tuesday, many said that they would swing firmly behind Mr Obama in time for the election.

'I was unhappy and upset that she lost, but I'm going to be voting for Obama in November,' said Ms Carol White, 68. 'He's a brilliant leader and we have to have unity in the party to win the election.'

Meanwhile two 20-year-old convention delegates from Michigan - a key state won by Clinton whose votes were initially excluded from the primary race - said Mr Obama would have their support.

'I'm disappointed, hurt and angry about Hillary, but I'm not deluded,' said Mr Brandon Hayes.

'Four more years of a Bush presidency under McCain would be a disaster for our country.'

Hayes fellow delegate Kelly Bernero chimed: 'We're not going to shoot ourselves in the foot in November. Hillary rocks but any true Democrat will vote for Obama.' -- AFP