Unfortunately, this Hotline analysis seems pretty sound:
Who has the most to lose in SC? McCain, who needs his mo’ back (and avenge ‘00 demons), or Huckabee, who’d have to explain how he lost a primary that’s tailor-made for him?
– The newest SC polls show McCain w/a narrow lead. Thompson, meanwhile, seems to be relegated to the role of spoiler, splitting the evang and conserv vote w/Huckabee.
– Could Thompson have been a bigger player here? His performance in Myrtle Beach suggested he was going aggressive. At press time, he hadn’t. This helps McCain, but it also hurts Romney, who, after all, is hoping to meet up with a bruised, battered McCain in FL.