What's At Stake in South Carolina for the Republicans Tomorrow

    We've learned this year that a defeat or two doesn't force a candidate out of the race the way it used to. Why withdraw when the race is unpredictable and no one else has any money either?
    Having said that, tomorrow's South Carolina contest is important for the future of the GOP race. Both John McCain and Mike Huckabee need a victory to be taken seriously as major league contenders. Barring a photo finish, one of them won't get  it.
     If McCain wins, he's got a clear path to the nomination, assuming he can then go on to win Florida on the 29th. If he loses tomorrow, however -- and that's the outcome that Rudy Giuliani has to be hoping for -- the Florida voters face a muddle and Huckabee will prove that he was more than a one-night stand.
    Fred Thompson needs a strong showing tomorrow too, though he can probably hang on with a respectable third. Romney is in Nevada and waiting for Florida, hoping, like Giuliani, for a muddle.