There have been multiple, awkward attempts to appeal to Hillary supporters for the sake of party unity, including one by yours truly that was interesting, if not successful. All of them were doomed to failure for two simple reasons.

The first reason is that the attempts were premature. Hillary had not even given a glimpse of her willingness to concede. How could unification behind Obama take place when she still held out hope of contesting the nomination? It couldn't.

That has changed now, as Hillary's campaign issued the release today that she will concede Saturday and throw her support behind Obama. That prerequisite for unity will be satisfied soon.

The second reason why calls for unity have failed is equally elementary, and I confess, I did not seen it until today: We wanted unity, not healing. We wanted instant gratification without the hassle of working for it. We saw party objectives, not hurt souls with dreams and objectives of their own. We wanted their understanding without understanding them.

I'm not talking about trolls or their implacable hatred of Obama and inability to see him except through kaleidoscopic logic. The trolls may come over from the dark side eventually, but not through our efforts. No, Im talking about decent, committed, intelligent people who have at least a minimal core of fairness in their hearts. People who want a better country but think Obama just isn't the man to deliver it.

Obama already knows this, I'm certain, and is preparing to offer his plan for healing. When Edwards dropped out of the race, I blogged at my.barackobama.com about the need to earn his supporters:

We also have to see to it that the important work of John and Elizabeth Edwards becomes a central part of our campaign. Change means nothing if we don't deliver it for those struggling the most. Let's remember that we work to bring about Obama's vision for all of America: the homeless veteran, the working mother, the disabled child, the cash-strapped small-business owner and the family trying to pay their mortgage or send their kids to college.

Let's remember that honest Clinton supporters have their own concerns and that Obama — and we — will have to reach them as individuals on a personal level, just as Obama met our personal expectations and deepest concerns. No two Obama supporters are alike. No two Clinton supporters are, either.

There are, however, shared concerns that may be addressed by the Obama campaign and the candidate himself. Some of those concerns are shared by Hilalry's strongest base, women. What will Obama do to enhance the economic security and social status of women? How will his policies address workplace discrimination and barriers to advancement? How will Obama help women who face domestic violence, unwanted pregnancies and stereotypes?

White, working-class people are another key constituency of Clinton's. Similar questions about Obama's plans to help them apply here and to Hispanics.

Even if Obama speaks with representatives of these groups to understand their concerns, plans and policies won't be enough to convince some. There has sprouted a tanglewood of misinformation and skewed perceptions about Obama, the natural underbrush of any campaign. Clinton can be most effective here in "clarifying" her remarks as she campaigns for Obama. We can help, also, in ways we already are accustomed to doing.

There will be give and take. Setbacks. Discouragement and victories. It won't be as easy as offering a hand or offering to listen, though this is part of what healing means. But if Clinton supporters will talk to us, we can start the dialog. Obama can address their concrete needs and concerns. We can spread the word.

I'm exhaling now. Hillary is about to give the Obama Express a new head of steam. Things will work out. It will be okay for all of us.