Here's a fascinating piece by Tom Edsall, that lays out one of the strategies Clinton could deploy to take the nomination away from Obama, without actually winning it through voters.
She apparently has a majority of loyalists on the Democratic Party's Rules Committee. It might pass a rule seating Florida and Michigan later this month. Then, the Credentials Committee where Obama will have a plurality but not a majority -- would have to overturn it. The balance of power on the Credentials Committee belongs to members appointed by Howard Dean.
Under certain circumstances, Dean's people might line up with Hillary -- if she had emerged as the most electable.
It's the first time we've seen this particular scenario laid out. The problems: It would produce an upheaval in the party, and Dean and future chairmen would never again be able to enforce a party-adopted rule if they decided after the fact to seat delegates from uncontested races in Mich. and Fla. that had been ruled out of bounds.
It's kind of funny that, for now, she's arguing that elites don't matter when they don't like her gas tax plan. But then she ultimately plans to have the DNC elite overturn the outcome of the primary process.