In South Carolina, the circus really is in town

By Tom Baxter
Southern Political Report

(1/16/07) Lexington, S.C. -- Wednesday morning's edition of the Columbia State featured a six-column shot of two elephants, snout-to-tail, with the headline, “The Circus Is In Town.”

Turns out that's not a metaphor. The Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus really is appearing in Columbia this week. But the picture could also have been a way to announce the frenzy of Republican political activity that's going to take place here over the next four days.

While Mitt Romney was preparing for his Michigan victory party Tuesday, Mike Huckabee was already in South Carolina, making campaign stops in the Upcountry and Midlands. So was Fred Thompson, whose last hope in his late-starting campaign is to pull off a major upset in the Palmetto State, where he led in early polls. Romney and John McCain weren't far behind, with campaign stops across the state scheduled for Wednesday.

A few minutes after the Michican polls closed Tuesday night, Huckabee arrived at Hudson's Smoke House, a barbecue joint so packed with supporters that it was probably skirting the local fire marshall's regulations.

Former Republican Gov. David Beasley was on hand to show support for the former Arkansas governor, as was Mike Campbell, son of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell, who is serving as Huckabee's South Carolina campaign chairman. Iris Campbell, has also accepted an honorary position in the Huckabee campaign.

This doesn't mean what it meant a few years ago, when the support of the Campbell political machine was considered essential to a Republican's chances in this state, but it's not inconsequential.

This promises to be a much different Republican primary campaign in his closing days than the bitter struggle eight years ago between McCain and George W. Bush. But it may end up being almost as nasty as that race, in which anonymous calls raised questions about McCain's mental stability and his family.

When they got back to their cars Tuesday night, Huckabee's supporters found circulars from a group called Virginia Christian Students for the Truth, headlined, “Mike Huckabee – Is This How a Christian Conducts Himself?” It goes on to raise questions about everything from whether Huckabee misrepresented having a theology degree, to whether he is really a “six-day creationist.”

Meanwhile, a group called Vietnam Veterans against John McCain has put out a flier claiming McCain collaborated with the enemy when he was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, an old charge that McCain has already denied.

It's very hard to say whether any of these attacks originated with one of the campaign, or just represent free-floating Republican animosity. There have been a lot of rumors about grand alliances – some in which Romney, having no hope to win here, is helping McCain behind the scenes against Huckabee, some in which he's helping Huckabee against McCain.

Whatever may have been the truth of any of these reports, the word Wednesday was that Romney, revived by his Michigan victory, was going back on the air in South Carolina after pulling out his resources earlier this month. With four days to go before the first primary in the South, none of the Republicans, with the notable exception of Rudy Giuliani, is willing to give South Carolina a pass.