NASHUA, N.H. — What does it say that in the critical final days before the New Hampshire presidential primary, half the Republican field, including the front-runner, took time out to visit South Carolina?

It says that, for this year at least, the storied New Hampshire primary is not where the political action is. Polls show Mitt Romney far ahead of the field, and even if Romney has slipped a bit in the last few days, no one here believes he has even the slightest chance of losing. Unlike the Iowa caucuses, in which the outcome was in doubt until the very end — actually still is in doubt, given the virtual tie between Romney and Rick Santorum — there’s no suspense about the winner in the New Hampshire race.