Ken Brock, chief of staff for Senate Democratic Leader Mark Schauer of Battle Creek, said it's up to Obama and Clinton to reach a deal.

(Emphasis supplied.) On the issue of Obama's objection that voters who voted in the Michigan Republican primary are excluded, the Detroit Free Press reports:

On Tuesday, Michigan Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer called the proposed legislation “a legally viable process for an early June presidential primary.” “None of the legal objections to this legislation have any merit, and in my opinion, this legislation satisfies all DNC and legal requirements,” he said.

He also noted that the provision that voters affirm they did not take part in the Jan. 15 Republican primary “is required by the DNC and must be part of the legislation.”

(Emphasis supplied.) Maybe Obama should ask Howard Dean to change the rules. And finally, from a Detriot News columnist:

The premise in the Obama camp seems to be that Clinton needs the votes, and that Obama can do without them -- or might do better by engineering a smoke-filled room decision about delegates than risking another election. But that reluctance also speaks to Obama's failure to win other big states against Clinton. The problem is that avoiding a real contest in Michigan makes the candidate look anxious and timid, rather than confident.

. . . The Obama campaign may wish to avoid another contest in Michigan's tricky waters -- and another election that will be imperfect but more inclusive than any alternative. Clinton may be hungrier for votes but she's also on the right side here. Substituting a smoke-filled room and a jerry-rigged delegation is even less of a solution than trying to put Humpty Dumpty back on the wall.