From the LA Times:
South Carolina's wandering governor, Mark Sanford, said today he had an affair with an Argentine woman and that was why he disappeared without telling anyone he went to South America.
"The bottom line is this: I've been unfaithful to my wife," he said. "I've developed a relationship with a dear dear friend from Argentina."
Speaking at a nationally televised news conference, Sanford apologized to his wife, his four boys, his family and the people of South Carolina for his disappearance and for leaving his staff and family to make up excuses for his absence. Sanford's staff had insisted at one point that he was off hiking on the Appalachian Trail.
An affair with "a dear dear friend from Argentina", is it?
I, for one, am so surprised! What was he thinking? It's not just the hypocrisy, but also the stupidity.
"I wanted to do something exotic," Sanford explained earlier, before admitting the affair, calling Buenos Aires "a great city."
This story is tragic. Sanford's wife and children suffer from his cupidity and stupidity.
Thus endeth his designs on the presidency - or maybe not. Republicans are quite forgiving of adulterers and drug addicts, even as they claim to be the party of "family values".
UPDATE: Sanford's sorry-ass performance on TV is at Huffington Post - all tearful 18 minutes of it.
They are not THAT forgiving. I think your governor's star is ascendant. All he needs is enough of the competition to flame out. The other guy looking good at the moment is our LDS friend from Mass.
ReplyDeleteFWIW
jimB
Newt Gingrich
ReplyDeleteRush Limbaugh
Give Sanford a few years.
Maybe you're right, Jim. Maybe all Jindal needs to do is wait out the fall of the other contenders. I don't think he will be caught in an affair.
There's the dog-riding-on-top-of-the-car story that could be dragged out again with the LDS guy. I wonder how many Republicans are true blue dog lovers.
I get the feeling that the Little Woman, who was not at at his side when he turned on the waterworks this afternoon, may have had it with him. I also have an idea that she is the wealthier of the two - not that he's hurting - and has no need to do the "long-suffering, faithful spouse" bit part.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell was he thinking about? In the words of the old proverb, "a standing prick knows no conscience".
Hi Mimi! I still wander over and read your blog when something really big hits the news, but I haven't commented for quite a while. I decided to take a long break from political blogging and have moved over to the light, carefree blogging world.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm still politically active, just not in the blogging world.
My screen name has changed, it was FloridaSiren (Sound of the Siren in your blogroll). Just wanted to drop in and say hello and I'm happy to see you're still at it!
PS. Seems that she threw him out two weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd appears that she is well and truly p-ssed-off!
ReplyDeleteBrava, Jenny. I don't know if I could have survived another loyal wife standing by her unfaithful husband in front of the cameras.
ReplyDeleteEven if I decided to forgive the sorry-ass, he'd make that first appearance all on his own.
Normally, I wouldn't care about this sort of thing; a private tragedy between him and his family. But, when people set themselves up as moral paragons and public scolds, then I do get a certain satisfaction seeing them caught with their pants down.
ReplyDeleteIf his wife threw him out, then good for her!
I really feel sorry for the kids.
It's not for me, but for his family to forgive him.
I'm sure that the divorce lawyers can smell carrion and are circling.
Buenos Aires "a great city."
ReplyDeleteWell, he´s got the fever...I don´t think this overheated dude is going to look back with regret! I must say, this is one of few things I´ve heard a Republican say that I agree with (they do seem to be a rather unhousebroken lot).
Me too. Enough with the loyal women standing by their sides...let these bozos grow up and take responsibility for their own actions...why should the wife he hauled into his amends making?
I feel bad for his wife and sons.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't these folks realize that they cannot hide these kinds of things?! To drag their families through such public shame is terrible.
I remember McGreavy, who later decided to reach a completely untapped demographic for the Episcopal church by entering seminary, because, after all, there just aren't any gay ex-catholics in the episcopal church, are there?
ReplyDeleteGeorge Carlin died a year ago. What he had to say about religion is very funny.
Rhonda, I fixed my blogroll to show your new website.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I know what the families go through, even if they're not on the evening news and in the newspapers, so my heart goes out to the wife and kids.
With the "Family Values" folks it's hard not to experience a bit of shadenfreude.
What a total douche bag!!!!! He's really enjoying being the center of attention. Nearly 20 minutes of laying it out in public and then asking for a cone of privacy? What a creep.
ReplyDeleteSusan, the rambling on about loving the wilderness and the Appalachian Trail was not at all necessary. Really.
ReplyDeleteI've never encountered a George Carlin Troll but Brad is popping up all over.
ReplyDeleteSanford is a twit. (not like the word Carlin noted as "friendly" -- "tit") How sad for all involved -- not a lot of pity for Sanford himself altho he does get prayers -- but then, everyone does.
Rachel Maddow devoted the bulk of her show to this sorry affair. That's not right. After all, there are other important stories out there.
ReplyDeleteMaddow was very good, tho'. Didn't you love the bit where she blushed just reading the emails?
ReplyDeleteMaddow was good, but she hid behind her notes when the expert on Iran came on the show toward the end and complimented her on her coverage of the protests. She knew.
ReplyDeleteHaven't had time to follow this, so I've not even seen the video yet (and do I really want to?). But I just caught this -- a different perspective, at http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2009/06/25/mark_sanford/?source=newsletter).
ReplyDeleteKlady, It's true that he was real in front of the TV cameras. He's human. I would view him less negatively if he had not been so harsh in his judgments of others.
ReplyDeleteI have a theory about Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned." I think the instructions may not apply only to the hereafter. One's judgment may come back to bite one right here in the earthly Kingdom. It's happened to me more than once.
Mimi! You've been bitten in your earthly kingdom? Where exactly is that?
ReplyDeleteI bet that really hurts! ;-)
Susan, exactly where you may have guessed. Right in the ass. It hurt!
ReplyDeleteI moved my theory up to a "Thought for the Day" post.
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina...."
ReplyDeleteSorry, couldn't resist. I have to admit, you have to have a lot of brass to just sneak off like that and think you won't get caught.
Hillbilly, I knew it was coming. I'm only surprised that it took so long.
ReplyDelete