It was another fascinating day on the campaign trail Thursday, as I watched the Democratic race for the White House play out in person and over the radio.

The black community in South Carolina has obviously been stimulated by the last few days of verbal jabs and punches between Barack Obama and the Clintons, and you can hear it on the radio dial.

When music stations are taking calls between records to let people duke it out on the air over whether to vote for Hillary or Barack, it's a different than the normal dynamic to say the least.

Hillary Clinton tried to change the subject a bit as both campaigns pulled down radio ads that weren't really passing the smell test. Clinton replaced hers with ads that focused on the economy and she went on black stations to say this should be a contest of ideas and not personality conflicts.

Team Obama wasn't having any of that, as the Head Coach and Candidate threw some high fastballs under the chin of Hillary, taking her to task for her votes on Iraq, just as Bill Clinton had brushed back Obama for his decisions on the war.

Hillary's economic policy speech at Furman University was about what you would expect, wonky and a bit boring, but she made her points and stayed away from the Obama trap.

Peppering her remarks with statistics about South Carolina's economic troubles, Clinton repeatedly made the point that the Bush Administration squandered the good economic times of the Bill Clinton presidency.

"Right now, we are on the wrong track," Clinton said, vowing to prove as President that she is "not a showhorse, but a workhorse."

I don't have a real feel for how well she is going to do here. Clinton definitely has ties into the Democratic Party that would make you think "Organization" as she had in New Hampshire.

Remember, she was seemingly far behind in the polls there, and then won.

John Edwards and the Main Street Express

After covering Hillary's speech at Furman, I drove West to the outskirts of Anderson, South Carolina, where John Edwards stopped at a firehouse to rally with about a hundred supporters Thursday afternoon.

It was really a campaign classic, on a chilly and windy afternoon, Edwards emerged from his "Main Street Express" bus, stood on a folding chair that looked like it might snap and wielded a bullhorn to address his cheering supporters.

Edwards pointedly rebuked Clinton and Obama for their verbal tussles in recent days, arguing that he's the logical alternative on Saturday.

"That kind of personal bickering is not going to get a single job to South Carolina," Edwards said to the crowd.

"I'm proud to represent the Grown Up Wing of the Democratic Party," Edwards added to cheers.

It's hard to tell where Edwards is right now in this race. A poll earlier this week showed big momentum for him, possibly even enough to get him past Hillary Clinton and into second place. But another last night had him back in third.

Like Obama, Edwards hasn't ventured out of the Palmetto State since he arrived back here after Nevada, hoping that focus can make the difference for him on Saturday night.

"We can create a tidal wave of change that sweeps this country with a power that cannot be stopped," said Edwards.

With all the focus on the economy in the last three weeks, I would have thought that the Edwards campaign model would have produced more tangible campaign results, but is has not happened.

One thing is for sure in my mind, there is no way Edwards is giving up on his campaign before Super Tuesday.

Are The Polls Going to be Right This Time?

Three weeks ago today, the polls weren't an issue in the wake of the Iowa Caucuses, as they had predicted an Obama-Huckabee Daily Double. But five days later, they badly missed the Hillary win in New Hampshire.

In South Carolina, the polls favor Obama, but they are still contributing to some confusion.

Surveys show the dustup over the past week between the Clintons and Obama has cost the Illinois Senator the votes of some whites. That seems only logical after race began to play such a big role and more blacks moved from Hillary to the Obama camp.

On the flip side, The new MSNBC poll showed Obama only getting 10 percent of the white vote. Obama holds a two to one advantage over Clinton among black voters, 63-23, while Clinton's lead among whites in South Carolina is now up at 53-24.

This shows how big of a deal "race" is in this primary. It also gives us a pretty good model to work with in terms of turnout on Saturday.

The higher the black turnout, the better that should be for Obama. The higher the white turnout, the better that should be for Hillary and maybe Edwards as well.

Then you have to ask the next question, who has the better organization.

Dennis Kucinich Calls It Quits

In a story that surprised me, Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio has decided that he wants to stay in Congress, as he will give up his race for the White House to run for re-election, in a race where he has drawn several primary opponents.

Kucinich gained a lot of notoriety, but had a very difficult time translating that into support in the voting booth.

He got only 1.4 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, where he asked for a full recount, alleging stories of voter fraud.

That narrows the race down to Obama, Clinton and Edwards. We shall see if the Republicans do a bit of their own axe sharpening next Tuesday in Florida.