An intriguing point, I think. Huckabee’s insulated in a sense in that most of his supporters answer to an authority higher than Rush, and even so it’s safe to say that the constant attacks from the conservative punditocracy have helped chip away at his early frontrunner status. But how to explain McCain? Rush, Levin, Ingraham et al. have been giving him the kiss of death and he’s still got two primary wins and a lead in Florida under his belt. Is his good fortune a testament to Mitt’s and Fred’s comparative weakness or is this new evidence that talk radio has — horrors — not vastly more influence than the right-wing blogosphere?

The big loser in South Carolina was, in fact, talk radio: a medium that has unmistakably collapsed in terms of impact, influence and credibility because of its hysterical and one-dimensional involvement in the GOP nomination fight…

McCain and Huckabee are both decent and principled conservatives –and so, for that matter, are Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Duncan Hunter… Isn’t it about time for the nation’s other high profile talkers to join me in acknowledging that we’ve got a group of outstanding candidates each of whom, in his own way, represents different aspects of the Reagan legacy?

Exit question: Isn’t the real litmus test in Florida, where Dems and independents can’t vote and Maverick has to live or die by the whim of people who actually listen to conservative talk radio?