Occasional contributor F. Landis gives us a heads up on the turnout numbers in South Carolina. He points out that, although it’s hard to compare directly because both the Republican and Democratic parties in the state have moved back and forth between caucus and primary systems, the “trends are mind-boggling”: MSNBC reported last night that African-American turnout at the polls this year doubled from 2004. Below are figures from the last couple election seasons. Also new: More Democrats than Republicans turned out in the 2008 South Carolina primaries, which is an entirely new phenomenon there, and reflects “buzz” about the general interest and enthusiasm across the nation and around the world generated by the Clinton-Obama contest.

Obama won another kind of victory today, pulling down a candid endorsement from JFK daughter Caroline Kennedy and a nodding endorsement from Caroline’s uncle, big-stick party leader, Clinton pal and excellent martini mixer Sen. Ted Kennedy, who has announced plans to endorse Obama sometime this week.