Washington: Super delegates are the privileged party leaders whose standing gives them a say in picking the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Likely to play important role in the near future, the super delegates are free to back whomever they wish at the end of the primaries, regardless of who leads in the popular vote or pledged delegates. Yes, the national committee Chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean said that on Tuesday, citing Democratic rules.

"They should use whatever yardstick they want. That's what the rules provide for," said Dean in an interview on Tuesday. When asked about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's suggestion that super delegates should exercise independent judgment and not feel bound by the standings after June 3 — the day the nominating season ends — Dean replied, "That's what the rules say, and I enforce the rules."

Having remained neutral in the nominating fight uptil now, Dean also revealed that superdelegates are free to evaluate the disputed primary results in Florida and Michigan, two states Clinton carried in the absence of campaigning by rival Sen. Barack Obama. The results of the two primaries were not acknowledged by the Party, as the states violated party guidelines. However, Dean’s stance is not satisfying Obama supporters, who say that the candidate who is leading in the popular vote and has the most pledged delegates should automatically win the support of any uncommitted superdelegates after the primary balloting ends.

Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker and Prominent Democrat from California, who earlier Tuesday on ABC's Good Morning America, said "These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win," has recently angered Clinton camp supporting Obama’s position that superdelegates should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates. Pelosi’s recent stance invited many letters of objections from major Democrats.

Dean, however, has vowed to follow the Democratic Party rules, which say that the 2,024 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination, but in the present state, neither Obama nor Clinton appears likely to win the 2,024 delegates. That would leave the final outcome in the hands of 794 super delegates, who are going to play crucial role in deciding the fate of the two, Clinton and Obama.