DENVER — The Hawai'i delegation to the Democratic National Convention is an affable bunch, but the tensions that have simmered between backers of Hillary Clinton and those of Barack Obama can be found even here.

It's nothing dramatic, and the stagecraft of this week's convention is designed to wipe out any lingering gaps between the two camps.

Clinton's speech last night was to set the tone for the rapprochement that the party — both locally and nationally — so eagerly wants.

Frequently mentioning Obama in glowing terms, Clinton declared, "this is the time to unite as a single party with a single purpose."

"None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines," she added in a direct rebuke to some Clinton backers who claim they might skip the presidential election or even shift to John McCain.

Clinton's well-received speech still leaves open the question of what precisely her backers are to do if and when a roll call is conducted. Most have already agreed to shift to Obama, but nothing in this drama is certain.

She certainly implied what she wanted when she asked: "Were you in this campaign just for me?"

The final answer to that question may come today. Clinton's Hawai'i delegates have been invited to join those from other states today to meet with the New York senator. That may well be a final test of Clinton's wishes for her delegates who are more than eager for guidance.

Once Clinton's name is placed in nomination, that roll call — or perhaps the lack of one — will present the final test of the "unity" issue at this convention. While the nomination is designed as a symbolic honor, it does open the door for Clinton backers to noisily cast a vote for their candidate or make some other sign of lingering disappointment.

Many delegates here — including some from Hawai'i — argue that the idea of Clinton-Obama tension is primarily an invention of the news media in search of a story. It's a good theory and has some validity.

But there is human reality at play here as well. These things take time. Bruising political campaigns, even among folks who are fundamentally friends and on the same side, leave wounds that have to heal at their own pace. Call it the difference between head and heart.

Island Democrats know their best interests are served by joining forces behind a ticket led by Obama and going down to every state and county race. But those who backed Clinton have to deal with disappointment and the fact that their political world has changed.

There are several elements here.

The first focuses on women who saw in Clinton the final achievement of a political dream they had worked on so passionately for years. All that effort aimed at ensuring capable political leaders of their gender received a full seat at the table, and now this.

Groups such as the pro-choice Emily's List and so many others have organized fiercely to promote "progressive" female candidates. That work, which appeared headed toward a natural culmination with Clinton, has now been derailed (at least temporarily, at the national level) by the unexpected Obama phenomenon.

The head tells them to swallow hard and get behind the nominee, just as Clinton herself said she will do.

But the heart still aches.

The second element is not about gender or race, but rather a generational divide. The Obama campaign brought in scores of new, often younger faces to the Democratic Party in Hawai'i.

Some older and perhaps more experienced Democrats can't help but feel uncomfortable, if not resentful, about these newcomers. In private conversations, they will use the word "cocky."

Wise heads in both camps appreciate these feelings, but they also recognize that change is inevitable and it is best to work with it rather than fight it.

State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who headed the Clinton campaign locally, was one of the first out of the blocks after Obama's win to announce that her side would join with the Obama folks for a unified campaign this fall.

And she has been busy promoting the Obama-Biden ticket throughout this week of caucuses, workshops, parties and convention business.

On the other side, Obama state coordinator Andy Winer has spent about as much time mending fences and encouraging the Clinton people as he has working for his candidate.

In Hawai'i, the effort from both sides, is paying off, he said.

"We've worked together for years, so it's easier to knit the team together after," he said.

That thought was echoed by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, the state's earliest and most prominent Clinton backer.

Inouye said he is often approached by disappointed Clintonistas. In fact, he had that conversation on the convention floor Monday night.

"I told them, when you lose a battle, accept your loss and move on. I have. They know where I stand now," Inouye said.

So local Democrats are mostly convinced they now have things on the right path.

That's likely to be true for the politics-saturated delegates at this convention. Whether it will hold equally true for Hawai'i's share of the 18 million votes Clinton received remains an unanswered question.

Jerry Burris' column appears Wednesdays. See his blog at www.blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com. Reach him at jrryburris@yahoo.com.

Jerry Burris' column appears Wednesdays in this space. See his blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/akamaipolitics. Reach him at jrryburris@yahoo.com.