The cable news networks have been constantly reporting on head-to-head polls comparing Obama vs. McCain and Clinton vs. McCain and using these polls to determine electability. Questions about whether or not one candidate’s supporters will embrace the nominee have been all over television and the blogs. Despite all the hype that they cause, these head-to-head polls are pretty meaningless until the Democrats have a nominee.

The newest NBC/WSJ poll helps illustrate this:

Indeed, even though Democrats have an 18-point advantage over Republicans in a generic presidential ballot test (51-33 percent), this latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey shows Obama besting McCain by only three points (46-43 percent) and Clinton topping the Arizona senator by only one (45-44 percent).

While the argument can be made that John McCain has more appeal than other Republican candidates, it wouldn’t make that dramatic a difference. Here is what I think is happening. Clinton and Obama supporters, when they are polled, tell the pollster that they would not vote for their Democratic opponent against McCain. Why would they do this? To make their candidate look like a stronger choice for the Democrats in November. However, when they are asked the Democrat vs. Republican question they answer more honestly. Once we have a nominee I predict that the Democratic candidate’s numbers gain dramatically over McCain.