Beginning with speeches by Sen. Clinton (N.Y.) and other women at the Democratic convention here next week, the party’s women will come out strongly for Sen. Obama (Ill.) throughout the campaign, said Pelosi (Calif.), who holds the highest position in the federal government ever occupied by a woman.

Addressing reporters at a pre-convention luncheon sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Pelosi predicted that the Obama campaign would be able to win over Clinton’s supporters before the election. She stressed, though, that, if they failed to do so, it would be their own fault.

“I believe that women will see that they have the most to gain by the election of Barack Obama and the most to lose by the election of John McCain,” Pelosi said. The differences between Obama and Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) are like “night and day” on issues such as healthcare, education and the war in Iraq, she said.

“I am very sure that we will leave this convention with all the enthusiasm in the world and the greatest unity,” Pelosi said.

The Democratic Party and the Obama campaign need to be sensitive to lingering discontentment of Clinton’s supporters, Pelosi added. “It’s hard to lose,” she said. The Speaker had remained neutral throughout the primary process.

The onus falls on the Illinois senator and his supporters to drive home the message that an Obama presidency would be better for them than a McCain administration.

“We have to convey to them, not just at the convention but in the campaign in their states and their communities, what is at stake,” she said.

If Democrats cannot make that case and Clinton’s supporters either back McCain or do not turn out to vote for Obama, the party will have failed, Pelosi said.

“If they think that it’s okay to vote for John McCain, then we haven’t been clear enough in communicating the message of what is at stake here,” she said.

Pelosi also indicated that the convention, which runs Monday through Thursday, could take a stronger tack against Republicans than Democrats employed in 2004 when nominating Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).

The Kerry campaign and the convention in Boston were criticized for not being aggressive enough in attacking President Bush or defending Kerry against assaults from his opponents.

“That was emblematic of the campaign not being critical enough early enough. Myself, I would’ve had that be about the Iraq war and not the Vietnam war" at that convention, Pelosi said.

As if to illustrate her point, she then launched in to a stinging attack on Bush and sought to tie McCain to the current president.

“Here’s the thing, our country cannot take four more years of George Bush’s policies,” she said. “[McCain] is associated with an administration that has taken us into a war, into debt, [a] downturn in the economy, housing, a mortgage crisis, energy crisis – there isn’t an area in public policy that this administration has not failed in and the country cannot take four more years.”

Pelosi addressed a wide range of other issues at the luncheon, including Obama’s selection of Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.) to be his running mate.

“What a great ticket,” she said, highlighting Biden’s relationships with leaders of other nations stemming from his long tenure on the Foreign Relations Committee. “He is a person who not only knows every leader in foreign capitals around the world, they know him, they know Joe Biden.”

Pelosi also deflected criticism that Obama’s choice of a 65-year-old Washington veteran did not fit his campaign’s them of change. “Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’re not for change. … He has experience in Washington but he is not of Washington,” she said.

Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) was the only House member publicly discussed as a potential vice presidential pick. Pelosi said she was pleased Obama considered a member of the lower chamber and said she discussed Edwards with Obama “a number of times.” She emphasized, however, that Obama did not ask her for her first choice and that she did not offer an endorsement of Edwards or anyone else.

Indeed, Pelosi quipped that she learned of Biden’s selection, which was revealed overnight Friday, later than many.

“I didn’t have any advance word. You found out before I did because I was asleep,” the Speaker told reporters.

Pelosi also predicted that the House Democratic caucus would boast a larger membership next year, including new members from districts won by Bush in 2004.

“We will have a stronger and bigger Democratic majority in November,” Pelosi said. “We are in great shape. Better shape, by the way, than I might’ve predicted a year ago,” she said.