Round 2 for McCain and S. Carolina evangelicals

God-o-Meter looks at John McCain's second chance in South Carolina, the site of his presidential-would-be collapse eight years ago.

This all seems so eight years ago. A folksy Southern evangelical wins Iowa only to be stopped in his tracks by maverick John McCain. But will what happens next in the Republican presidential race be a replay of 2000? Will the Christian Right stop McCain cold in South Carolina? God-o-Meter doubts it. Let's examine the evidence:

1. As opposed to denouncing the Christian Right as "agents of intolerance," as he did in 2000, McCain is enthusiastically reaching out the movement. ...

2. McCain has launched a "truth squad" in South Carolina to smack down potentially ruinous attacks as they surface. Rumors spread by George W. Bush supporters about McCain in South Carolina--including that he had fathered an illegitimate child--hit him especially hard among "values voters."

3. McCain got just as many evangelical votes in New Hampshire as Mike Huckabee. ...

Does this mean John McCain will have an easy time in the Palmetto State? No. But for McCain, what happens next won't be a replay of 2000.