Rubik’s Cube

You could almost hear them yawning. The pundits and prognosticators paid to talk endlessly about politics had little else to say. After an hour and a half on stage in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Thursday night, the six leading Republican candidates for president had produced no fireworks, no slapfests, no real "news."

In a narrow sense, the chattering classes were right—nothing changed over the course of those 90 minutes. Mitt Romney didn't short-circuit; Mike Huckabee didn't levitate. But what we got instead what just as interesting—and probably more informative. After a one-two primary punch in Iowa and New Hampshire that only muddled an already confusing contest, the Republican race now looks more like a Rubik's Cube than a chessboard—a cluster of regional competitions with different contestants who each have different objectives, all moving at once.

Consider Thursday's Dixieland debate a sneak peek at the dynamics that will define the next three weeks. Facing a burst of make-or-break primaries in three wildly dissimilar states—Michigan on Jan. 15; South Carolina on Jan. 19 and Florida on Jan. 29—the candidates revealed exactly how they expect to survive until Tsunami Tuesday on Feb. 5.

Take Fred Thompson. After disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the former Tennessee senator has one hope left: South Carolina, the first primary held below the Mason-Dixon line. Which is why he awoke from the stupor he calls campaigning to spend much of the night unloading on Mike Huckabee, who currently leads there by an average of 5 points. "On the one hand you have the Reagan Revolution of limited government and strong national security," said Thompson in response to a question about whether the "Reagan coalition" still exists. "On the other hand you have the direction that Governor Huckabee would take us in."

Thompson then fired off several rounds of ammo, linking Huckabee's comments on the Bush administration's "arrogant bunker mentality" to the "Blame America First" crowd before slamming the former Arkansas governor on taxes, Guantánamo, education and his support for a national smoking ban. "That's the model of the Democratic Party," he concluded. It was the night's most aggressive assault (made doubly delicious by Thompson's down-home delivery). Expect Fred to keep it coming in the Palmetto State over the next eight days—even if it is too little, too late.

For his part, Huckabee fought a two-front war. Unlike Thompson, he's competitive in South Carolina and Michigan—but thanks to different constituencies. In South Carolina, it's the state's sizable evangelical vote keeping him in the hunt. So even though Huckabee feigned offense at a question about his Baptist faith, he answered with aplomb. "I'm not the least bit ashamed of my faith," he said. "I'm certainly going to practice it unashamedly whether I'm a president or not a president." Cue the night's biggest applause.