Newtmentum

Not only did Mitt Romney lose in South Carolina tonight, he lost to Newt Gingrich by such a substantial margin that the networks called Newt the winner immediately at 7 PM after the polls closed.

Newt Gingrich has won the South Carolina Republican primary, capping off a remarkable comeback for his presidential bid that reshapes the trajectory of the battle for the GOP nomination.

Based on early exit polls, NBC News projects Gingrich as the winner of the primary, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will finish second.

The results mark the end of a tumultuous week in politics that saw Gingrich erase and then overcome the lead Romney had in the Palmetto State following his victory in the Jan. 10 New Hampshire primary. Gingrich came on strong in the closing days of the campaign, looking to rally under his banner the many conservatives unwilling to get behind Romney, who had sought to posture himself as the eventual nominee.

Combine that with the news that the Iowa GOP dropped their idiotic pretense of a tie and Santorum won, and Mitt goes from Mr. Inevitable to Mr. Inexplicable.  The battle is now truly on.  Let the bloodletting begin.  We're in this for the long run now:  Florida on the 31st and beyond to Super Tuesday in March.

[UPDATE]  This is why Newt Gingrich won in South Carolina: