DNC inner-workings - the Rules Committee - ***UPDATE*** - FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN ARE SEATED!!!!!!

I'm an MSNBC junkie today - I'm periodically paying attention to the Rules Committee Meeting.

It's obvious that they are well-aware of the cameras.

They handled Florida this morning (which I missed) but Americablog is liveblogging the whole thing. They were dealing with Michigan when they went to a very late lunch break, which has now lasted almost two hours longer than planned.

According to the press conference with Florida Democratic leaders afterwards, it sounds good for party unity:

After the Florida portion of the meeting was finished, I watched an impromptu press conference in the lobby of the Marriott that included Jon Ausman, Senator Nelson, former Senator Graham, Rep. Wexler and a couple other Florida Democrats. The theme was one of unity. Ausman said he could accept Rep. Wexler's proposal for seating the Florida superdelegates with 1/2 vote each. Generally, the theme was one of unity.

*************UPDATE***********

Back from their break (where all kinds of behind-the-scenes action was happening regarding Michigan). The Committee in their speeches is talking about the importance of rules. The vote to seat Florida at 100% went down 12 to 15. Now the 1/2 vote-per-delegate motion is in discussion and it looks good.

Great quote from Alice Huffman, who is resigned that her motion went down and is in favor of the 1/2 vote: "We will leave here a more united party."

Motion passes unanimously.

************UPDATE 2************

The motion is to restore all pledged delegates with 1/2 vote, 69 delegates for Clinton and 59 for Obama.

This is the compromise arrived at by the Michigan delegation themselves, who did research and determined that had Sen. Obama been on the ballot, this is how they would have fallen.

Motion passes 19 to 8 - they are seated!!!!!!!!!!!

Harold Ickes (Committee member, Clinton strategist) was as out of order as the noisy Clinton supporters when he said these votes were "hijacked" and that Hillary Clinton reserves the right to take this to the Credentials Committee.