(CNSNews.com) - The Obama campaign says it is "very seriously" considering Sen. John McCain's suggestion that the two politicians make a series of joint "town hall" appearances around the country leading up to the November election. They would hold debates without a moderator.

"We take that as a serious idea," Sen. Barack Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod told Fox News Sunday. "We haven't worked out the details. This was a concept that Senator McCain surfaced, and what I'm saying is we're interested."

Axelrod said the primary campaign is drawing to an end, and he left no doubt that he expects Sen. Barack Obama to be the Democrat Party's nominee.

Axelrod said party leaders and rank-and-file Democrats are eager to get on with the general election campaign. He said he expects the Obama campaign to continue raking in delegates and endorsements "on a regular basis" in the days ahead.

Obama now leads Sen. Hillary Clinton in both delegates and the popular vote. Clinton has suggested that might not be the case if Florida and Michigan's primaries were counted.

Axelrod was careful not to criticize Sen. Clinton, although Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace gave him several opportunities to do so.

Axelrod said he believes that Clinton not only cares about the Democratic Party -- "I think she cares about this country. I think she understands how much we need change in this country. And I don't think she wants to impair our chances to achieve that, so, you know, I assume that she will do what she thinks is appropriate within those parameters."

Sen. Clinton, on the campaign trail in West Virginia over the weekend, said the race isn't over "until the lady in the pantsuit says it is."

Nevertheless, Axelrod said the grueling primary race has been good for the Democrats: "You know, we have registered 3.5 million new Democratic voters," Axelrod said. "The Obama campaign has organizations all over the country that are going to be ready to go. We just announced a 50-state registration drive for the fall. So in many ways, this has been a strengthening process."

Axelrod admitted that "feelings are raw" after such a long, competitive primary race. But he predicted that those raw feelings will heal over time, as Democrats unite around the idea that change is needed in Washington.

It's hard to measure unity in the middle of a primary campaign, he said. "But I think we will have unity in the fall."

Asked about Clinton's comment that white voters support her over Obama, Axelrod said must have misspoken: "I don't imagine that she chose the words as she would if you asked her that question again," he responded.

He also said her argument is wrong: "In Indiana, we split voters who make $50,000 a year or less evenly. We did better among non-college-educated voters there. And the same is true in North Carolina...and we've done well across the country in various states with these voters."

Axelrod predicted that Obama will "compete strongly" with McCain for independent voters.

As for the Obama campaign helping Sen. Clinton pay off millions of dollars in campaign debt, Axelrod said she hasn't asked for help -- "and we haven't offered." He called the discussion "premature."

"And the truth is I think that Senator Clinton will have the capacity to retire her debt. I don't believe that Senator Clinton is looking for a deal. I don't think that's what this is about."

Axelrod suggested it would "demean" Clinton to assume she's waiting for the Obama campaign to step forward with an offer of financial assistance.

Axelrod also dismissed Robert Novak's contention that Sen. Clinton will never be asked to serve as Obama's running mate because Michelle Obama wants nothing to do with the Clintons.

"That's false. There's been no discussion about vice presidential nominees," he said. "We have not made my overtures."

He said the Obama campaign will "focus on the vice presidential choice at the appropriate time."