At this point, it doesn't really matter.  Obama is going to win South Carolina by double digits, he's free to violate any pledge he wants.  It does show the type of scumbag he really is, but he's free to do so.

The whole point of the pledge is to protect the status of the first four states, and SC is the only one left.

Why is she the only person who matters?  Did the pledge agreement name her as administrator/arbiter or something?

South Carolina isn't even a party to the pledge agreement.  At best it's what you would call a "third-party beneficiary."  As such, there's really no good argument for allowing a South Carolina official to define the terms of an agreement between other parties.

And that's especially true when her definition conradicts the clear terms of the pledge itself.

I don't really care what Carol Fowler thinks. Obama pledged not to campaign in Florida. Now he is campaigning in Florida.

Actually, maybe it would be.  Recall the flak Obama got when he answered a few questions from reporters after a fundraiser, which led to the campaign promising not to do it again.  But obviously no one REALLY thinks a national TV appearance is "advertising."

Of course not but Senator Clinton, or any other Democrat for that matter, appearing on MTP is not the same thing as launching an advertisement that the campaign paid for in a state that the campaign has pledged not to campaign in and you know it.

Now, just to clarify, I do not currently favor either Senator above the other but I am sick of each side abandoning reason in either attacks against each other or defense of their candidates. Just take a step back and try to picture Senators Clinton or Edwards making this move instead of Obama and tell me honestly if you would be making the same argument.

Advertising in Florida is tantamount to communicating with voters through the television.  I quote the memo Obama's campaign disseminated in the wake of Hillary's victory in MI:  

TO:      Interested Parties

FR:       The Obama Campaign

RE:       Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary

Because Michigan violated DNC rules by placing its Presidential Primary on January15th, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee ruled that the Michigan Democratic Party could not use the results of the January 15 Presidential Primary to allocate delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In other words, no delegates are at stake today in the Michigan Democratic Primary.

All of the Democratic presidential candidates publicly pledged not to campaign in Michigan, none have visited the state, opened offices, hired staff or communicated with voters through television, mail, phones or otherwise.  In addition, four Democratic presidential candidates, Obama, Edwards, Richardson and Biden withdrew their names from the Primary ballot in order to avoid participating in the Michigan Primary.  Clinton did not withdraw her name even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary. Clinton, Dodd, Gravel and Kucinich are the only candidates on the ballot today. The Obama Campaign is not participating in the Primary and has not instructed supporters in Michigan whether or how to vote.

Therefore the results of the primary tonight have no bearing on the Democratic nomination contest.

Florida, whose primary was scheduled for January 29th, is just like Michigan - the DNC applied full sanctions for setting an early primary date and there are no delegates are at stake.  As with Michigan, all of the Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not campaign in Florida. Although Senator Obama did not remove his name from the Florida Primary ballot because Florida law did not allow him to do so, Senator Obama is firm in his commitment to neither participate nor campaign in the Florida Primary and its outcome has no bearing on the nomination contest. We raise Florida today because Senator Clinton has scheduled a fundraiser in Florida on Jan. 27th, and there are signs - despite Senator Clinton's public pledge to the contrary - that she may be planning to campaign in the state - inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity - ahead of the Florida primary.

Our position and the position of the DNC is clear - neither the Florida nor Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee and we are not campaigning in either state.

And Visack said it does, why would they matter?

And so does Sullivan from NH.

I don't think you are correct.  It was the four state parties who insisted on this thing (hence the name, "four state pledge"), not the DNC.  I'm not aware of any evidence of DNC involvement at all.