Last night there was a democratic debate for South Carolina and unfortunately the event descended in to childish scrapping between Clinton and Obama. On one hand it is clear that they no longer think Edwards is really in the running, and on the other that they are truly worried about each other's chances of winning the nomination. Take a look at the video...

A few places looking at this are describing it as messy and ugly, but that ultimately it benefits Clinton. I'll wait to see the polls before I go that far, Clinton has experience of fighting dirty and she clearly seems better at it but I'm not sure that is exactly something positive she is sending out. Obama on the other hand is let down because he is shaky. John Edwards, on the other hand, comes off both looking like he is a much more respectable candidate while also being one with less chance to win.

Who comes out top in SC is already pretty much pre-ordained, with 83% of the black community supporting Obama in Nevada it is hard to see how SC won't deliver him a victory, potentially a large one, but for the events after this? If Edwards does get a boost out of last nights performance, perhaps playing the card of being the only candidate that is spending time actually caring about his electorate rather than fighting with his competitors, then he could feel like extending his stay in the race. As I've said before, if he does well enough then far be it from Clinton bringing Obama down to her level and beating him with experience, she may have shot herself in the foot by giving a boost to the only real factor that is dividing her voter base.