By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff

1) Will Sen. Obama Wrap up the Democratic Presidential Nomination Tuesday Night?

Most political observers believe that, for all intents and purposes, the nomination will be decided in Barack Obama ’s favor this week, within hours or days of the polls closing Tuesday in South Dakota and Montana, the last two states to hold nomination contests.

The party’s decision this past weekend to seat delegates from Michigan and Florida, albeit with half a vote each and in a manner denounced by some supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton , means the number of delegates Obama needs in his camp to claim a majority is 2,118. Clinton delegate guru Harold Ickes made it clear that Clinton could appeal the decision to give Florida and Michigan, which broke party rules by scheduling their primaries before the sanctioned dates, half the representation they would otherwise have enjoyed. But Obama’s influence on the powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee was evident in the panel’s decision.

The latest Associated Press delegate count puts Obama at 2,076, or 42 delegates short of the magic number, including 1,738 pledged delegates and 336 superdelegates (the party leaders and elected officials who are not bound to a candidate but often announce endorsements before they vote at the convention).

There are 31 pledged delegates at stake in Montana and South Dakota combined and another 29 superdelegates from those states. Obama is expected to run up a big margin in winning South Dakota, but Montana could be competitive. He likely will need about two dozen more superdelegates to take his side to lay claim to a majority of all delegates. That could happen Tuesday.

The South Dakota polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and Montana closes at 10 p.m. EST.

2) Why is Sen. Clinton Still getting Superdelegate Endorsements If Obama’s Victory is All But Certain?

Superdelegates endorse for many reasons, not all of which involve who they think would make the best nominee or who they think is most likely to win the nomination. They may endorse out of loyalty to a friend or past supporter or because they want to show they stand with the candidate who is more popular with their voters or donors. Sen. Clinton picked up endorsements from superdelegates in Louisiana and her home state of New York on Monday, while Sen. Obama nabbed the backing of superdelegates from Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut.

3) When Will Sen. Obama Officially Become the Democratic Nominee?

Technically, that will not happen until the Democratic National Convention in August. The schedule for delegate selection of the presidential nominee has not yet been finalized, but the nomination usually occurs on third day of the four-day convention, which will be Wednesday, Aug. 27 this year. The vice presidential nominee is typically chosen the next day, though usually the presumed nominee’s choice is announced earlier. The official agenda for the convention will be determined by the Rules Committee.

4) What’s Next for Obama?

Obama turned most of his attention to presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain after winning the North Carolina primary and narrowly losing in Indiana May 6, though his campaign launched a few last volleys at Clinton during the closing weeks of the primary campaign. Even so, now Obama should, for the first time, be able to run a full-scale campaign against McCain without looking over his shoulder at Clinton.

He appears to be intent on bringing Clinton supporters over to his side, unveiling a more conciliatory tone in recent public appearances and downplaying the severity of the rift between the camps. His success in unifying his party will no doubt be viewed as a test of his ability to fulfill his promise to unify the nation as president.