The Republican Howard Dean?

It's mop-up time for everyone except Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee is doing his best right now to convince the country he is still in the race. He shouldn't have to do much convincing, as he is still in the race, but if he doesn't make a strong showing in the next few contests, he is going to have a all-or-nothing Super Tuesday on February 5.

Huckabee is in danger of becoming the Republican version of Howard Dean, minus the psychotic scream. If he ends up bowing out early, he is going to have to worry about having peaked too early. It's a problem in sports where a team ends up peaking a few weeks too early or the first round of playoffs. He needs to be in this to the end.

This might be problematic, as he didn't even come close to winning in a state where he should have put up some number despite strong competition from Romney and McCain.

For Huckabee to stay in this race, he is going to have to do something more than just campaign well. He is good in front of crowds, and he has a somewhat populist message, but he doesn't sound optimistic enough in my mind. He needs to fuel his populism into some positive momentum and focus on that instead of trying to simply keep up with the two men who finished ahead of him tonight.