You don’t take out a 3rd place candidate. Paying attention to him gets him free media.
The candidate in 3rd place takes himself out, by running out of money.
Huckabee’s situation is very much like Thompson’s was. There is no visible path from point A to point B. If we assume he really does want to win rather than spoil, we have to try to imagine some strategy he may be pursuing.
You have to realize what is going on in campaigns at this point. Pros will tell their candidate it is over. Huckabee doesn’t have pros. He has people trying to keep their paycheck flowing at all costs — beyond a desire for him winning. Remember, he didn’t get the 1st tier of staffers. McCain, Guilliani and Romney got all of them. He got the leavings, who were desperate for a paycheck when they signed on 6 months ago. They are trying to stretch it now.
So that’s what the obstacle is. He is surrounded by people who have manufactured a point A to B scenario to sell to him, even if it makes no sense, that keeps their checks flowing. Pros don’t generally do that because they can easily latch on at a congressional campaign and feed the family. Huckabee’s 3rd raters can’t be sure of that.
Romney’s people are doing the right thing. Ignore Huckabee and maybe he’ll go away. Soon.
Romney will emerge from Feb 5 at about 400 delegates. McCain will have 700ish. If Huckabee then disappears, Romney has an outside chance to hold McCain under 1100 by denying him 450 out of the remaining 988 to be awarded post Feb 5.