The Illinois senator last week switched his attention to the general election battle against John McCain after locking down more than enough pledges to reach the victory target of 2,025 delegates.
A senior Democrat strategist, familiar with discussions at the highest levels of the Obama camp, has revealed that Mr Obama is now confident of the support of around 120 of the remaining 260 undeclared superdelegates.
His aides believe he will only need between 70 and 80 to be sure of the nomination if he wins the Oregon, Montana and South Dakota primaries as expected ater this month.
The strategist said: "The reason he's behaving like he's won it, is because he thinks he has won it. His numbers man now thinks they have enough firm support to get to 2,025."
Out of respect for Hillary Clinton many have insisted that their allegiance remains private until after the final primary election on June 3. Others will go public to maintain Mr Obama's momentum if Mrs Clinton, as expected, wins a handsome victory in West Virginia on Tuesday.
By one estimate Mr Obama grabbed the lead in superdelegates for the first time on Friday, after picking up seven public endorsements in a day. At one time he trailed Mrs Clinton by more than 100. His lead in pledged delegates, selected by voters, means he now enjoys an insurmountable lead of 160 over the former First Lady.
The strategist said Mr Obama has "no intention" of making Mrs Clinton his running mate, but that he is prepared to offer an olive branch to her supporters by seating delegates from Michigan and Florida, won by Mrs Clinton but excluded because they broke party rules.
A second well placed Democrat, who has discussed tactics with Mr Obama's aides, says they are happy for Mrs Clinton to contest the remaining primaries as long as she does not try to take down Mr Obama with her.
He said: "They are going to concentrate on McCain and just let the psychodrama play itself out to a dwindling audience. They know they have to be respectful of her because they will need her supporters in November."
Chris Kofinis, another Democratic strategist, who was John Edwards' press secretary, warned that Mrs Clinton's claim on Thursday that her rival suffers from dwindling support among white voters went too far.
"That's the kind of divisive talk they can't pursue," he said. "I don't think anyone will have a problem with her staying in unless she goes for a scorched earth strategy. I think Senator Clinton will do what she needs to do when she thinks the time is right. This is now an insurmountable task for her. Most, if not all of the people in her campaign realise that when they're talking honestly."
If Mrs Clinton does try to drag down Mr Obama, his aides will ask the privately pledged superdelegates to go public sooner.
Mr Obama will now sharpen his rhetoric, tackling Senator McCain over Iraq and the economy. And yesterday (SAT), with an eye on November's general election, he began a nationwide voter registration drive to ensure the maximum Democratic turnout.
Obama aides also revealed last week that victory in the Oregon primary on May 20 would give him a clear majority of the elected delegates, a victory they believe superdelegates would not overturn and one they plan to mark with a rally in his home state.
John McCain is working on his own strategy to combat Mr Obama. One adviser to the Republican candidate revealed that he is considering tactics to undermine Mr Obama's claims that he would put an end to politics as usual.
In the coming weeks Mr McCain plans to challenge the Democrat to accept public funding of elections, as he suggested he would before it became clear that he would shatter fundraising records. Refusal to agree terms would undermine Mr Obama's claims to be an ethical new broom. The McCain camp is also examining a suggestion by Mark McKinnon, a media strategist for the Republicans, who has suggested that his boss and Mr Obama agree to campaign together in some states, attending joint town hall meetings and debating each other without a moderator. Again a refusal from Mr Obama could be used against him.
"The town hall meeting is John's best format," the aide said. "He's a natural campaigner up close with the public. That would test Obama's claims that he wants a clean fight on the issues. John is also strong on finance reform. If Obama reneges on public funding it will look bad."
Republican strategist Scott Reid summed up the situation: "This was a pivot week not only for Obama but also for Senator McCain, because it's now really showtime."
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