Mere minutes after arriving in the state, team Romney was already downplaying expectations for Saturday’s South Carolina Republican primary.

[Romney Press Secretary Eric Fehrnstrom] said he “would be shocked” if Romney won in South Carolina but that they “hope to do well,” calling the state “McCain territory” and “Huckabee territory.”  Romney pulled his advertising here after his second place finish in New Hampshire, and only went back on the air yesterday.  [ABCNews]

When he’s trailing by 16 points in a state that isn’t going to be as susceptible to his empty rhetoric, I can understand why — despite having dumped millions more into winning here than any of his opponents — Romney wouldn’t expect to get a “gold medal” in South Carolina.  Plus, his father wasn’t the former governor of this state, so he doesn’t have home field advantage.  And after he moved so far to the left in order to win the Michigan primary, I can’t see how voters will be able to stomach whatever plastic pandering he plans to offer up next (Editor’s note: I’d bet the house on some ridiculous “deport every immigrant” promise).

So it looks like Romney’s SC goon squad didn’t do such a good job of long-term planning.  But hey, if it makes them feel better, they can still let out a Dean scream anyway.  Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh!