I was on the phone with a national reporter this morning, when they asked me what the feeling was like “down here.” And, the more I’ve thought about it in the hours since, I guess the best way to describe it is to say that each of the four competing Republican camps have their arms cocked back, ready to deliver the strongest punch possible. They’re just waiting for someone to make the first move… or for all the world’s attention to fully arrive on Wednesday.

Although the “dirt” seems to be “flying,” I still think the worst is yet to come.

Indeed, even as McCain spoke on the bus, his campaign had already postmarked a nasty negative mailer in South Carolina with several misleading claims about Mitt Romney, including the allegation that the former Massachusetts governor had “provided taxpayer funded abortions.” The Huckabee campaign, for its part, was putting the finishing touches on an eight-page research document, accusing Fred Thompson of an “anything goes” record on spending and lobbying ties to the “terrorist government of Libya.” At the same time, Thompson continued his argument — made forcefully in last week’s debate — on the stump and in email press releases that Huckabee is a closet liberal who would betray the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile, the Romney campaign, which has flooded South Carolina with aggressive mailers, positioned itself like a coiled snake, ready to strike as needed, depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s Michigan primary. [MICHAEL SHERER - TIME]

Newsweek has also put together a congruent piece in anticipation of the first concentrated round of furiously flying fists. Which means, for Mike Huckabee, it’s probably not such a bad time to have Chuck Norris’ support.