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Yesterday, the New York Times ran a story on what it characterized as a "Democratic convention effort marred by costly setbacks and embarrassing delays."

"With the Denver convention less than two months away, problems range from the serious — upwardly spiraling costs on key contracts still being negotiated — to the mundane, like the reluctance of local caterers to participate because of stringent rules on what delegates will be eating, down to the color of the food," wrote the Times.

The story painted a damning picture of the planning of the event, and also suggested that the campaign of Barack Obama was frustrated with "organizers who they believe spent too freely, planned too slowly and underestimated actual costs."

The story was so damning, in fact, that it has prompted a response from Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean and Democratic National Convention Committee C.E.O. Leah D. Daughtry, who suggested that it was "gross misrepresentation of the groundwork that has been laid to date."

Dean and Daughtry wrote that contrary to the Times' claims, the convention has been well-managed and costs and contracts are under control.

"Despite uninformed criticism in the New York Times and the city’s worries about the color and fried nature of food among other things, our focus remains on putting on an historic event that helps keep Senator Barack Obama on a path to victory in November," they concluded. "When August comes, the eyes of the world will be watching. And we’ll be ready."

The DNC and DNCC have struggled to raise money during this election cycle, in part because the Democratic candidates themselves attracted unprecedented fundraising support, drying up some of the DNC and DNCC's traditional sources in the process. Convention fundraising has also been slowed by the fact that the Obama campaign doesn't allow the DNC or groups related to it to take money from corporate lobbyists.

(That hasn't, however, stopped both the Republican and Democratic conventions from shaping up as what the Los Angeles Times characterizes as "a multimillion-dollar infomercial underwritten by corporations and lobbyists whose influence both presidential candidates decry." Click here for more on that.)

In a conference call today on the Democrats' decision to hold the final day of the convention at Invesco Field (not the Pepsi Center, where the rest of the convention will be held), Dean suggested that the DNC wouldn't be able to make the move if the convention were over budget.

From CBS News’ Michelle Levi

Washington, DC -- Democratic National Committee Chairman, Howard Dean told reporters over breakfast Wednesday that the DNC and Barack Obama’s campaign are already united on several key campaign issues including campaign finance, transparency and voter research. "When the nominee comes in," Dean explained, "basically they set the policy for the Democratic National Committee. We are going to abide by whatever Senator Obama advises us to do."

The governor stressed his optimism about the impact of an extended primary season. "When we designed the 50 state strategy we did not have in mind 50 state primaries all which mattered," Dean joked, "but we got that and I think its at the end of the day going to be a very good thing" adding the qualifier, "now that we are through." He bragged, "we basically got to do a dry run of every state in the country six months before the election."

One benefit of the Democrats' season of infighting, according to Dean, was the creation of extensive voter files which will be available to every democratic candidate heading into November. "Obama used our voter files exclusively and the way they do that is through the states," Dean explained. "Since we all have the same voter files we have a national voter file map, the states build it, we pay for it on the condition that whoever uses it for the state gives us their data back."

The governor said he was "a little surprised" by the rate of his party's reconciliation "given the length of the primary season” but acknowledged “it will take some longer time" to be completed. Dean referenced his experience after dropping out of the presidential race in 2004 and said, "it is always harder for the supporters than it is for the leaders. But I think we are well on our way to unity. … We really do have to genuinely reach out to the people who were disappointed in the outcome," he said. Dean allowed there is concern that Clinton supporters may be disillusioned and stay home or turn to McCain. "But the leadership is coming around very quickly ... they get what's at stake here," he added.

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Four prominent Democratic leaders have released a statement urging the remaining undeclared superdelegates to back a presidential candidate by the end of the week.

“We have come to the end of an exciting primary and caucus process – the voters have spoken," write Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Governors Association Chairman Joe Manchin and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

“Democrats must now turn our full attention to the general election," they continue. "To that end, we are urging all remaining uncommitted super delegates to make their decisions known by Friday of this week so that our party can stand united and begin our march toward reversing the eight years of failed Bush/McCain policies that have weakened our country."

After last night, Barack Obama has the delegates he needs to claim the mantle of presumptive nominee. The statement released this morning appears to be an attempt to leave the superdelegate saga behind and help create a unified front for the battle with John McCain.

“We once again congratulate all of the candidates for their leadership and dedication to providing this country with a New Direction," the party leaders conclude. "We look forward to working with them and with all Democrats to win the White House, congressional seats and state capitals so we can deliver the change the American people deserve and demand.”

On Friday we mentioned a pair of op-eds, including one from former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, suggesting that sexism has been directed towards Hillary Clinton during her presidential run.

Now Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean has taken up the argument, twice this weekend alleging sexism in coverage of the New York senator. Here's Dean – never, it's worth pointing out, much of a fan of the fourth estate – at Saturday's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting:

Over the course of the primary there have been some tough disagreements and some ugly moments in this campaign. On the blogosphere, and the airwaves. Emotions have run high and heated discussions have led at times to blatantly racist comments and, blatantly sexist comments particularly by some members of the media. We know that those comments have no place in our society and certainly no place in our party.

And Dean on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, after being asked about Ferraro's op-ed:

There has been an enormous amount of sexism in this campaign on the part of the media, including the mainstream media...there have been major networks that have featured numerous outrageous comments that if the words were reversed and they were about race, the people would have been fired....What you don't get over is deep wounds that have been inflicted on somebody because they happen to be a woman running for president of the United States.

As CBS News' Fernando Suarez reports, the Clinton campaign today emailed reporters regarding signing up for travel with the campaign through June 6th – three days after the final primary, and two days after many political observers expect Clinton to leave the Democratic race.

But while Clinton may be sending a signal that she is going to stay in the race beyond the end of the primaries and perhaps through to the Democratic National Convention, the leaders of her party have other ideas.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today said in a radio interview that he, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and DNC Chairman Howard Dean "agree there won’t be a fight at the convention." CBS News' Michelle Levi reports that Reid said "simple math indicates that...Obama will probably have the necessary number" of delegates he needs to become the party's nominee by Tuesday, June 3rd, when the primaries wrap up.

The three party leaders are pushing uncommitted superdelegates to back a candidate sooner rather than later in order to avoid a convention fight, Reid said, in case matters aren't settled on Tuesday. Pelosi is reportedly already contacting superdelegates in order to convince them to declare their allegiance by next week.