After weeks of maneuvering aimed at producing a display of unity when Democrats gather in Denver later this month, Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced yesterday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be formally nominated and her name included in a roll-call vote at the Democratic National Convention.

The move represented the latest, and potentially most important, symbolic gesture by Obama to Clinton supporters, and could blunt the threat of an upheaval on the convention floor. Some Clinton backers have threatened to stage a walkout or leave Denver altogether after she speaks on Aug. 26 to protest what they view as a flawed and sexist party nominating process.

In a joint statement, the two camps said the decision to enter Clinton’s name into nomination was mutual, and they countered the idea that she had forced her way back into the spotlight.

“I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton’s historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” Obama said in the statement. It , which went on to say that he “encouraged” the roll-call vote as a way to recognize “the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation’s primary contests.”

How, exactly, the roll call will work remains an open question, advisers on both sides said. After having her name entered into nomination, Clinton could then ask her delegates to support Obama, bypassing the long process of reading names aloud. But several advisers said they think there will be some kind of roll call, which could begin as early as Tuesday night of the convention. As a superdelegate, Clinton is expected to vote for Obama.

OK, I said in the past that the convention could get ugly and now they are presenting the dissenters with a perfect opportunity to cause as much disruption as they are willing to try.