Should the GOP delight in Dems' dilemma?

It's the capstone in today's post Super  Tuesday II conventional wisdom -- GOP nominee John McCain benefits big time from an unsettled Clinton-Obama Democratic race.

Perhaps, but I'm a little skeptical.

For one thing, I'm not sure how a candidate benefits from becoming a page 12 afterthought for the next two months. McCain will continue to be part of the story, but he will not be the story as long as the Democratic drama continues to play out.

Yes, I know McCain can raise lots of money in the meantime, and clearly Hillary is doing him a big favor by going all Rove on Obama. Next thing you know she'll be running ads featuring that famous pack of scary wolves, promising to gun them down like that unfortunate banded duck. Obama is preparing to fire back. It could get ugly.

But is keeping your uniform clean really a big advantage?

 Ask Jim Nussle how much it helped him to sew up Iowa's GOP gubernatorial nomination very early in 2006 while Chet Culver, Mike Blouin and Ed Fallon fought their way to the June Democratic primary. Culver emerged from a tight race with bruises and a lot less money than Nussle, who spent weeks out of the limelight while the Dems wrestled.

But by November, any advantage Nussle got from his skate to the nomination had vanished. A well-known, well-financed candidate who entered the race as the favorite lost by 100,000 votes. Some wondered whether Nussle might have benefited from the rigors of a primary race. Culver clearly grew as a candidate in his primary battle.

Sure, a presidential campaign is a lot different, and McCain is a sharp, skilled and seasoned contender. Unlike Nussle, McCain will move aggressively to capitalize on his early advantage. And 2008 is not 2006.

But it's also misguided to assume that Dems are destroying their chances by dragging this out. Their storyline is compelling, the media glare will be constant and the winner will emerge damaged but clearly battle-tested. Instead of limping from the rubble, the winner may even get a bounce, or at least a fresh look from voters.

And for the 1,168th time this election cycle, the conventional wisdom will be wrong.