TEN DAYS IS A LONG TIME.

In fact there have not been ten uninterrupted campaign days in this entire campaign. The ten days before Iowa included Christmas and New Years.

Since August John McCain has been the come-from-behind-underdog. For the first time in the race he is going to get the full front-runner treatment: intense scrutiny and relentless criticism from his rivals.

Huckabee’s gracious praise for McCain in tonight’s concession speech smacked of a short list audition. He promised to remain in the nominating “process” for a long time, and said he still believes it will end “in the White House.” But there were moments when he spoke about his campaign in the past tense, and he didn’t say in what capacity he believed he would end up in Casa Blanca.

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The Confederate flag debate may fascinate the liberal media elite outside South Carolina but in the Palmetto state it’s simply not a big deal. What could be is Mitt Romney autographing an AMERICAN FLAG?!?!?!

Romney aides say he signed a shirt with an American Flag pattern…good thing cause
If he had used a sharpie on the Star Spangled Banner he could have had a whole new flag controversy all to himself.

Mitt claims the pro-growth economic message with Michigan, NH solidified Mac’s strong security message and Huck in Iowa got the jump on social and religious conservatives…3 winners with distinct messages, and with strengths and weaknesses regionally and on core GOP issues…There is no front-runner.
SC was always THE state for southerner Fred Thompson to win…failing here could eliminate him.
But McCain has long viewed SC (with a high per capita population of retired and active military) as key to his long term viability.
And because as much as 60% of the South Carolina GOP vote is evangelical Huck needs to win here too!
A 3 way do or die???
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Now the race is about delegate counting with all the candidates planning for a long war of attrition beyond February 5th. When you look at the count and the map there is little incentive for anyone to bail out regardless of the outcome of South Carolina .

States allocating pledged delegates to date:
Iowa, Wyoming (GOP), New Hampshire, Michigan

Source: Real Clear Politics

Republican Delegates (1,191 needed to win nomination)

As for Giuliani, he put all his eggs in Florida’s winner-take-all basket. There are 57 delegates to be won there.

He is tied with McCain. If McCain wins South Carolina that could propel to a win of those 57 delegates.

Counter attack politics. McCain doesn’t much like Romney.

Click Here for McCains take on some tough mailers circulating in South Carolina.

The RCP average of polls show Huckabee with a  lead in South Carolina but several individual polls show McCain leading  Today is Michigan Primary day, polls close at 8pm.

Just as McCain has to win SC..Romney has to win Mi.    The direct mail in SC is going to get ferocious now.

McCain aides know they need to win in SC, just as Romney aides know they need Michigan.  Both candidates are in until 2/5, but first Mitt, then McCain have their backs up against the wall in the next 2 states.

Fred Thompson’s lagging campaign finds solace in the latest Rasmussen poll in South Carolina which shows he is TIED with Huckabee and Romney for SECOND.

His campaign launched a new ad in South Carolina on the heels of the good news.

The Rasmussen Report in announcing the latest numbers says:

“Over the past several days, the only real movement in South Carolina’s Republican Presidential Primary has been a four-point gain for Fred Thompson and a five-point decline for Mike Huckabee.

The big winner from that trade-off is John McCain.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows McCain at 28%, Huckabee at 19%, Mitt Romney at 17%, and Fred Thompson at 16%. Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul are tied with 5% support. Giuliani is betting his entire campaign on a strong showing in Florida, where he is now tied for the lead with three others.”

 

Fred Thompson is not competing in Michigan which holds it’s primary on Tuesday, January 15th and it is hard to gauge how his showing there will effect momentum and ultimately his turnout in South Carolina.

Update: Fox News has learned exclusively that Human Events, an iconic conservative publication has endorsed Fred Thompson. (per Serafin Gomez, Fox News Embed Producer)

To find out more about Human Events go to their website, click here

He won’t spill! Sean Hannity tried to pry it out of him to no avail. Taking calls for almost an hour Fred Thompson and Jeri Thompson were on Sean Hannity’s radio show today. While many of the candidates practiced and prepped for tonight’s debate, Thompson took questions from callers and Sean Hannity and played coy regarding a major endorsement he will receive tomorrow.

He said he thinks he has “a fair chance” here in South Carolina. He went on to say “South Carolina is where I stand.” He said he had a strong conservative consistent record which plays well here. “We have to do well here without any question.” He runs fourth in the South Carolina polls at 9%. Saturday, 19th will be the day of reckoning.

Tune into Fox News Channel 9pm tonight to see the final republican debate before South Carolina votes.

The first in the south republican debate just ended. Who won? …

John McCain talks with Sean Hannity post debate.

Fred Thompson chats with Alan Colmes.

Real Clear Politics breaks down the delegate count and shows the Republican race is still fluid. To see more go to Real Clear Politics.

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More than 29,000 people showed up to hear Barack Obama, candidate for president in Columbia, SC, Sunday. Of course, they may have been there to see Oprah Winfrey, who introduced the candidate. She is, after all, the “first lady of television,” as described by Michelle Obama.
The South Carolina Obama campaign told FOX that as many as 70% of those who requested tickets to today’s event had not previously been identified as an Obama supporter. This type of high profile event gets people in the door and gives Barack Obama a very large stage from which to appeal for votes (not to mention the number of cameras on the main press riser was expected to top out at 60 – and it looked like more than that from my vantage point).

So why does Oprah support Obama? Why did the typically politics-shy TV personality speak up this time? Watch some of her remarks here: