I’m going to be throwing up a few posts from our cover story this week previewing Saturday’s primary.
As the nation anxiously awaited the results out of Iowa and then New Hampshire, pundits were predicting with glee that the presidential primaries could drag on well into the summer — possibly to the party conventions. But a fear loomed over those of us anxious for a fight — namely, that there wouldn’t be one. That unknowing cloud of momentum from back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire seemed destined to make South Carolina a speed bump, instead of a rest stop, for any presumptive candidate. But destiny provided the kind of nail-biting competition these types of decisions should always have, but rarely do.
Just before the New Hampshire primaries, former President Bill Clinton said coverage of Barack Obama’s record on Iraq equated to a “fairy tale.” Little did we know how prophetic that statement would be, not only for Obama, but for any of the three viable candidates looking to clinch the party’s nomination. A fairy tale tends to have beautiful heroes derailed by circumstances beyond their control. In the throes of peril, they need saving, preserving. They triumph in the end, but never alone. Sometimes it’s magic, but more often than not, it’s the least of us who prove pivotal in guiding the story to its happily ever after. Relish your role, South Carolina. Vote. (That is, if you didn’t already cast your vote on Jan. 19 during the GOP contest. You can’t vote twice. At least not without the help of a fairy godmother.)
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