It wasn’t until after the plane landed in Chicago — sans the presidential candidate — that Gibbs confirmed a meeting had taken place between the rivals. Details? None given.

The face-to-face meeting, initiated by Clinton, illustrated how the hierarchical roles of the candidate’s relationship suddenly were changing. While Obama agreed to meet Clinton on her terms — at the location and time of her choosing — he was doing so wearing the title of a presumptive nominee, eager to get their first session out of the way and move onto the general election.

Several early reports suggested that Obama and Clinton were holding the secret session at her home on Whitehaven Street, which sits in the shadow of the vice president’s residence in Northwest Washington. In the end, aides said, the meeting did not take place there, a development that for hours injected a cloak-and-dagger-like element into the drama and set off a mad scramble for reporters to find the secret location.

For a time, the search took place live on cable television, unfolding like a Washington spy thriller, with the two leading characters sneaking around with the help of decoys and diversions.

Questions went largely unanswered. Advisers to both candidates did not respond to questions by telephone or email.

Throughout the long primary season, Chuck Todd, the political director of NBC News, turned to maps and charts to help explain the state-by-state — and delegate-by-delegate — manoeuvreings. No visual aids could help explain this mysterious Clinton-Obama story.

... contd.