"None of us thinks about it because he works so well in this atmosphere," a top Democratic aide said.

"The issue is very simple," said one senior Democratic aide.

"Once the election returns were in, this became the obvious way to go," one Democratic aide said.

"This thing is changing every five minutes," said one top Democratic aide.

"The point is, we need to stick together on this vote," one Democratic aide said.

Democratic aides said they were making these arrangements only because there was so much interest, in the news media and among supporters.

A senior Democratic aide said the measure would probably pass.

"If we have to compromise to get something done, then so be it," a Democratic aide said.

"They ran through the legal traps" in a conference call with 50 members, a Democratic aide said.

"We really thought last night was a perfect time," the Democratic aide said.