Fred Thompson Gaining In South Carolina

Don't count the most reliable and consistent conservative in this race out just yet:

As the first Southern state prepares to vote, Thompson has conceded that a disappointing finish in Saturday's GOP primary would probably sink his chances. Other candidates have much to gain or lose here, but none more than the man whose candidacy has been one of the campaign's biggest puzzles.

Until now, Thompson has been overshadowed by his rivals. He ran third in Iowa, the state that vaulted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to the race's front ranks. He got 1 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, where Sen. John McCain of Arizona came back to life. He attracted 4 percent in Michigan on Tuesday, when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney resuscitated his candidacy with a victory.

That is hardly the script written for the television and movie actor months ago as he began a high-profile effort to test enthusiasm for his campaign.

Now he is down to one state where he hopes that his combination of Southern roots and conservative views will lead to the breakthrough that has so far escaped him. He isn't reluctant to remind audiences here that he's kin. As he said at a West Columbia restaurant Thursday morning, "It's good to be back in home territory where they know how to cook green beans -- and they're not crunchy."

His rivals doubt his chances, but Thompson believes something is happening in the Palmetto State. Asked during a radio interview at the restaurant Thursday whether his efforts here represent a "too little, too late" strategy, he offered an upbeat assessment.

"We're clearly moving in the right direction," he said. "We had some ground to make up, but from what I can tell, we're moving up."

Tom Cruise On His Scientology Cult

This guy ("Why ask permission? We are the authorities.") really is nuts. Katie Holmes should take the kid and run away now before it's too late.

Mitt Romney Makes It A 3-Man Race, But South Carolina Is The Key

John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney have now each won major GOP primaries, but since 1980 it's the winner South Carolina that's gone on to win the Presidency:

As the Republican presidential hopefuls focus on South Carolina, a new tracking poll shows John McCain in the lead in the state that effectively killed his 2000 campaign.

The Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby survey gives McCain the support of 29 percent of likely voters in Saturday's crucial primary, ahead of Mike Huckabee with 23 percent and Mitt Romney with 13 percent.

The three candidates have split the first three major contests, with Huckabee winning in Iowa, McCain in New Hampshire, and Romney in Michigan.

Fred Thompson, who is making his last stand in South Carolina, was in fourth with 12 percent. Ron Paul had 6 percent and Rudy Giuliani had 5 percent in the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Since 1980, no Republican has won the nomination without winning the first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina.

Keith Olbermann Is Stupid Beyond Reason

Newsbusters:

On Monday's Countdown show, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann used his regular "Worst Person in the World" segment to accuse the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Michael Mullen, of trying to "fake" a "Gulf of Tonkin" incident with Iran over the recent U.S. Navy confrontation with Iranian navy speed boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Referring to reports that, out of five Iranian boats, only one unarmed boat approached the U.S. Navy ships, and that the threatening message received could have come from a "well-known marine heckler" of the area, Olbermann awarded the "Worst Person" dishonor to Mullen: "So you guys tried to fake another Gulf of Tonkin incident using some clown with a CB radio and the lethal threat posed by the S.S. Minnow? Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, on behalf of the Bush administration, today's 'Worst Person in the World'!"

Listen, I understand that pandering to liberal extremists every night is the only thing that keeps Keith Olbermann on the air. I get the male version of Rosie O'Donnell (which, in of itself is a conundrum) schtick. I know that's he's a total whack job who shouldn't be taken seriously to the point that you have to laugh when liberals accuse FOX of being biased. But how far will he have to go for the real progressives out there to realize what a detriment he is to their cause? Keith Olbermann is nothing but a 9/11 Truther dressed up as a journalist and his constant polarization can only do the Democratic party harm come electing the next president.

Politiks As Usual: In The News 1/14/08

Black Billionaire Robert Johnson Criticizes Barack Obama

Pro-Lifers Rally Support For Georgia's Human Life Amendment

How Republicans Can Help Elect A Democrat

John Edwards Is A Loser

Poll: Fox 'Most Trusted News' For Americans

Court Ends Bible Distribution In Schools

Analysis: Whatever Happened To The Iraq War?

Gloria Steinem: Insane Liberal of the Week

Age: 73

Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio

Claim To Fame: feminist icon and founder of Ms. magazine

Why She’s Dumbest Liberal of the Week: For her ridiculous op-ed piece (titled “Women Are Never Frontrunners”) in the New York Times this past in which the staunch feminist (reaching to make excuses for Barack Obama surging past Hillary Clinton the Democratic primaries) asserted that if Obama were a woman, he wouldn’t be elected. Predictably, Ms. Steinem also went on to gripe that gender “is probably the most restricting force in American life.” A blasphemous claim when you consider the dearth of poverty (who would choose being born poor over being born female) as well as the history of race in America (note that Steinem never deals with the hypothetical of where Hillary would be in this race if she was a black woman), but then like most white, liberal feminist bigots, gender still outranks every other oppression known to man, even if the biggest struggle you’ve ever had to deal with as a female was dealing with your husband’s very public extra-marital affairs.

Mind you, Steinem’s op-ed was written before Hillary’s stunning comeback win in the New Hampshire primary. Let’s see if Steinem writes a follow-up blaming Barack’s loss on race.