Obama Should Get Some Boost From South Carolina In Tightening Showdown With Clinton

Senator Barack Obama should get a big boost with a badly needed to win in South Carolina later today in his quest to upend Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Edwards will likely come in third, but still will probably stay in the race despite this expected loss today in a state he won four years ago.

On Tuesday, Romney could win the Florida primary and further tighten his race with John McCain, which could also end the campaign of Rudolph Giuliani with a weak finish. Huckabee will show some strength in upcoming primaries in Southern states as well, but is highly unlikely to become the nominee as his national support continues to fade somewhat. Thompson voters need to decide where to go among the candidates still standing in the race, although they are unhappy about many positions of the remaining field.

If anything, the lack of a clear winner among either party at this point only points to factionalism and dissatisfaction with some candidates among the voters in both parties. This uncertainty makes this year's race for the White House more interesting than most years. It has been a long time since both races were so disputed and split like this.