Sen. Barack Obama has called for the Florida and Michigan delegates to receive full votes at the Democratic Party's nominating convention this month, Cox News Service reports.

The presumed Democratic presidential nominee wrote the Democratic National Committee that such a gesture would advance "party unity."

In the letter, he said that "Democrats in Florida and Michigan must know that they are full partners and colleagues in our historic mission to reshape Washington and lead our country in a new direction."

The party has faced criticism for its clumsy punishment of the two states for violating DNC rules by scheduling primaries earlier than usual.

Initially, the national party stripped both states' delegations of their votes. Then, in May, the party granted half-votes to the Florida and Michigan convention delegates.

During the longest competitive primary season in party history, Mr. Obama and his main rival, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, pledged not to campaign in Florida or Michigan because the states had not played by the national party's rules.

Then, as the Democratic primary race became long and close, the party's error became apparent. As Mr. Obama built a lead in the delegate count, Sen. Clinton's campaign called for the two states' delegate votes to be reinstated based on state election results.

It was not to be, and the two states have to be smarting from their exclusion from full participation in the primary process.

Sen. Obama is trying to heal the wounds for the sake of party unity, as he should. But national party leaders could have handled the situation better. The same problem could arise again next election, and both major political parties will want to have a way to solve it.