What a fine mess...

You thought the Republicans had problems with their nominees, at least we are debating policy and not debating racial boundaries.

The good news for Democrats is that they finally get to vote in South Carolina tomorrow.

MJS-

But the GOP presidential campaign is looking stately compared with the emotion and acrimony overtaking the Democrats in South Carolina, which votes Saturday.

To the horror of party leaders, and glee of their GOP counterparts, the Hillary Rodham Clinton-Barack Obama rivalry has descended into an angry pitched battle, played out on the rocky ground of race, gender, credibility and character.

Remember back a few weeks ago, this mess all started a few weeks ago, after the New Hampshire.

The pollsters and the media got it dead wrong by glibly handing New Hampshire to Obama long before the people actually voted in that state.

When the vote did not turn out as predicted, in order to keep from having to admit they were wrong, the media and the pollsters immediately injected racism into the battle.

That battle has been raging ever since.

It is great to finally see the media recognize the fractured elements of the Democratic party. They have been denying it for weeks as this battle has raged.

Either in spite or because of the lack of big policy differences, the Democratic race has become more personal and rancorous than the Republican contest, which features larger philosophical divisions.

All of those folks that think Obama is just a nice guy and the Clinton machine is unfairly attacking him need to realize that Obama has gotten his shots in too.

"Hillary Clinton. She'll say anything and change nothing. It's time to turn the page," says a radio ad in South Carolina, Obama's answer to a Clinton ad accusing him of embracing Republican ideas.