Amos, I have given up all hope that any nomination, either party, will ever again be decided at the convention. In fact, the nominees of the parties will probably have a nine month lead time in preparing to take office, having amassed the requisite delegates for nomination by February or March of 2008.
If the nominee currently holds office, s/he will be effectively AWOL from that office until the actual election.
Yes, I am pretty cynical of the whole process as it has evolved in the past half century.