Watch as the goalposts move before your very eyes, with less contested southern states like Georgia and Tennessee now the benchmark for voter enthusiasm. Third in SC is very much a possibility, of course — but early indications from Carl Cameron are not good.

Politico says he sounds wistful on the trail today while the NYT seizes one last opportunity to snark. “Amen! Tell the truth, Fred! Amen!”

Update: Victory in defeat:

Over the past month, Huckabee first surged in polls of South Carolina Republicans, from fifth place to, for a time, a solid first place. Over the past two weeks, however, he has fallen behind McCain, largely for two reasons: McCain got a major boost from his January 8 New Hampshire win, and the struggling campaign of Fred Thompson made a last ditch effort to get on track here. While well behind and tied for third place with Romney, Thompson did make gains, and the data suggest that virtually every point Thompson picked up came out of Huckabee’s hide.

Update: From Fox News, read it and weep.