Barack Obama blasts Bill Clinton on Good Morning America today.

And a weeks-old story about Oprah's viewers calling her a traitor on her website, possibly prompting her not to make additional appearances for Obama since her foray into Iowa and South Carolina, makes the TimesOnLine. The headline, "Women turn on ‘traitor’ Oprah Winfrey for backing Barack Obama".

It's going to be an ugly week. It's all going to be about race with supporters of the two campaigns calling each other out on this or that perceived insult.

The battle for South Carolina, as opposed to the primary itself, holds little interest for me compared to the states voting on Tsunami Tuesday, February 5. So, after tonight's debate which I will live-blog, unless there's something really newsworthy, I'm going back to crime and injustice coverage until Thursday or Friday when I'll return to cover the final predictions and results for South Carolina. The Bush Administration has gotten a free ride here since Iowa -- it's time to get back on its case for a while.

Of course, Big Tent Democrat will cover South Carolina and other campaign news as he sees fit. Keep in mind, we tend to write a lot here, up to 15 posts a day. Sometimes you have to scroll down all the way down the front page just to see what one of us or TChris, who is still with us, wrote hours before.

Update: Obama has sent out a new mailer in South Carolina. Take a look (pdf.) Is he vying with Huckabee for the religious vote? He uses the phrases "Called to Christ," "Committed Christian" and says he will be guided by prayer in office. There's even a photo of him with a large cross behind him.

Hillary Clinton spoke in Harlem at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. She has been endorsed by its minister, the Rev. Calvin Butts.

Bill Clinton spoke at Harlem's Convent Avenue Baptist Church.

Barack Obama spoke at Ebeneezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta. It's the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his sermons from 1960 to 1968. Bill Clinton will speak there tomorrow.

Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama attended the same church service in South Carolina. Neither spoke during the service although both were introduced and applauded. Darrell Jackson, the church pastor who delivered the sermon, is a a state senator and paid Hillary campaign advisor.

After Donnie McClurkin, it was heartening to hear this today from Senator Obama:

If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community. We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them . . .

But new questions about Obama's commitment to fighting homophobia will be raised by the news, via owl06, of this endorsement by Rev Kirbyjon Caldwell. This is troubling because Rev. Caldwell is, like Donnie McClurkin before him, a believer that homsexuality is a curable disease of the soul:

We are pleased to announce the creation of “The Way, The Truth and The Life”, a program created to provide Christ Centered instruction for those seeking freedom from homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution, sex addiction and other habitual sins.

Perhaps Obama is unaware of Rev. Caldwell's background and views regarding gays and lesbians. One hopes he does not embrace yet another homophobe in his campaign.

is what Chris Bowers does here:

John McCain has finished second or lower among Republicans in all five states that have held a Republican presidential nominating contest so far. On the other side of the aisle, Barack Obama has finished first, or tied for first, among projected delegates to the Democratic national convention in all three states that have held nominating contests for Democratic national convention delegates so far. Despite this, John McCain is considered the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, while Barack Obama is not considered the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Why is this? . . . [MORE]

We're going to be hearing a lot of clips from the candidates' speeches tomorrow in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. I think we sometimes forget, particularly when we hear a superb one, that the person who wrote it is not the same as the person who delivers it.

Who are these speechwriters? The New York Times had a long profile Friday on Barack Obama's chief speechwriter. He's 26 year old Jon Favreau. They met the night of Obama's 2004 speech in Boston. Favreau, who was then a speechwriter for John Kerry (yes, at 23) heard Obama rehearse the speech backstage and recommended changing a line. One thing led to another, and the next year Favreau was working for Obama. Obama has two other speechwriters, ages 26 and 30.

Favreau spent a lot of time with Obama in the beginning months of the campaign, when things weren't as busy. He's successful because he isn't writing in the abstract, he's channeling his boss.

Mr. Favreau also used this time to master Mr. Obama’s voice. He took down almost everything the senator said and absorbed it. Now, he said, when he sits down to write, he just channels Mr. Obama — his ideas, his sentences, his phrases.

As another speechwriter puts it: [More...]

After losing Nevada handily yesterday to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama is no doubt very happy to be competing in South Carolina this week. That primary is next Saturday, January 26, and Obama is heavily favored holding double digit leads in most polls.

The chances of Obama losing in South Carolina seem almost nonexistent. He has completely solidified his support in the African American community, which will comprise half of the electorate. Obama will win African Americans by 4-1 over Clinton, which will get him to 40% on that vote alone.

But there is a pitfall for Obama. In the last two primaries, he has been drubbed by Clinton among Democratic voters. If South Carolina is close and Obama's victory is solely fueled by overwhelming support by African Americans, Obama risks getting a label he has fought hard to avoid - that he is the black candidate. It would be an entirely unfair label, but it could be attached to him.

More . . .

CBS News examines the age factor in the Democratic presidential race. Older voters favor Hillary, younger voters favor Obama. African-American voters are expected to favor Obama.

Younger voters turned out in Iowa and African American voters will turn out in South Carolina. But, CBS says, that may not be true for Tsunami Tuesday and that could work against Obama.

Obama’s weak performance so far among older voters substantially increases the odds against him scoring big victories in the slew of states voting on February 5th, "Super Duper Tuesday."

By the numbers: [More...]

John Edwards today said he's staying in the race, even though he got his "butt kicked" in Nevada. He said he makes no excuses for the loss. And, he reminds us, we're 3 states down with 47 to go. (Actually, Michigan makes it 4, although the results there like in Florida, may not count.)

Edwards arrived in South Carolina last night and will be campaigning there all week.

Edwards has put far more effort in South Carolina than Nevada, spending $2 million on advertising there -- twice what Clinton and Obama have spent there.

While Edwards said South Carolina was important, he said he would stay in the race even if he ran poorly there. "Absolutely," Edwards said on CNN's Late Edition. "I'm in it for the long haul."

Supporters of Barack Obama continue to spin the 13-12 delegate count story as if it proves he won in Nevada. Their sour grapes attitude is so unbecoming.

One more time, here's the deal.

• Nevada Democrats

  Just like in Iowa, what was awarded today were delegates to the County Convention, of which Senator Clinton won the majority. No national convention delegates were awarded.

  if the delegate preferences remain unchanged between now and April 2008, the calculations of national convention delegates being circulated by the Associated Press are correct.

The delegate count will occur in February at the county convention and in April at the state convention. No delegate totals can be predicted before then. [More...]

The Las Vegas Sun examines Hillary Clinton's win in the Nevada caucuses yesterday and provides these reasons she won:

• Foresaw a huge wave of new voters unlike in her failed Iowa campaign.
• Worked relentlessly to appeal to Hispanics from the ground up rather than the top down.
• Sewed up the support of many Culinary workers long before the union endorsed Obama.
• Dominated among women and then persuaded them show up to caucus.
• Won the final week of publicity with tough political gamesmanship.

Most of the remainder of the article focuses on internal campaign strategies. It mentions Clinton's strength among Hispanics and women, but interestingly, concludes with this: [More...]

Despite the ridiculous, pathetic and shameful attempt by the Obama campaign to spin the undemocratic and outrageous delegate selection system used in Nevada (and Iowa) as a "win," the Media, to its credit, did not bite. As Chris Bowers notes:

. . . [T]he media is instead covering who wins the popular vote of individual states. . . . [T]he media is covering is interesting and closer to the concept of one person, one vote . . .

Chris is strangely upset about this respect for the wishes of voters. I say thank gawd someone respects the voters, because the delegate allocation system sure does not.

The funny thing is if the Media did NOT cover it this way, there would be no reason to give Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, etc. much coverage at all. The delegate results in these states are virtually meaningless. They will have almost nil effect on the delegate count. The only primaries that would have the heft to merit big coverage would come on February 5 and after - when the a great proportion of the delegates will be chosen. These states would get the coverage of Mitt Romney's win in Wyoming.

More . . .

Update: The Las Vegas Sun crunches the numbers.

****

On the Nevada Democratic Party website today, there's a "clarification" of yesterday's statement about delegates. Today's statement:

Clarification** of Statement by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Jill Derby

(Las Vegas, NV) "The Nevada Democratic Party and its officials have taken great effort to maintain our neutrality in the presidential campaign and the integrity of our process. Today, two out of three Nevadans who caucused chose a Democrat instead of a Republican for president. That is an overwhelming majority vote for a new direction. Just like in Iowa, what was awarded today were delegates to the County Convention, of which Senator Clinton won the majority. No national convention delegates were awarded. That said, if the delegate preferences remain unchanged between now and April 2008, the calculations of national convention delegates being circulated by the Associated Press are correct. We look forward to our county and state conventions where we will choose the delegates for the nominee that Nevadans support."

Yesterday's statement (and background): [More]