Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mark Sanford: Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Posted by Bruce VanWyngarden on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 11:18 AM
The most nervous man in America at this moment? My money's on South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who's scheduled to give a press conference at 2:00 p.m. EST today. He's facing the ultimate lose/lose situation. The latest story is that he zipped off to Argentina on a whim — without telling his wife, staff, or even the lieutenant governor, who would have ostensibly been in charge during his absence. Assuming he just went to take in the sights of Buenos Aires, eat some charrusco, and hang out on the beach in this sexy, alive, and European-built city, he still comes off as a nutjob. And that's the best case scenario.
If, on the other hand, as some suspect, he was off on a romp with a paramour (for his sake, let's hope it was a female) or catting around with the locals, he'd better not try to fib about it. It's well-nigh impossible, unless you're Steve Jobs, to go anywhere secretly these days and cover your tracks. The hotel where he stayed will be public knowledge in no time, if it isn't already. If he used a government cell phone, those records are public information. Ditto with a state-issued credit card (though surely he wasn't that stupid). He did, rather stupidly, use a state vehicle to drive to the Atlanta airport, where it was parked for the duration of his trip.
It's possible that the "press conference" will consist of nothing more than a statement from Sanford and a walkaway with no follow-up questions. Bad idea. Another scenario is that he will make a full confession of some un-family-values-like behavior, with his loyal wife and family standing behind him, as he announces, say, an alcohol problem and an upcoming trip to rehab and asks for our prayers.
The worst case scenario would be if he continues to try and brazen it out with more lies. If that happens, he's toast. These days, being a public figure means just that. He may need a good lawyer. Elliot Spitzer comes to mind.
UPDATE: It was an affair. Classic. And my headline was soooo appropriate: [Sanford] told reporters he spent "the last five days of my life crying in Argentina" and the affair is now over. Sanford, a rumored 2012 presidential candidate, refused to say whether he'll leave office.
Comments (8)
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Why do philandering politicians always look more like candidates for Guy You're Least Likely To Screw Around With Even If The Earth Is About To Explode than studmuffin powerbrokers?
And screwing around on Father's Day weekend? Classy!
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Well, John Edwards from NC and now Sanford from SC. Maybe it's something in the water, or maybe we have come to expect so little from our elected officials that we just don't care anymore.
hey, kite, you're pretty damned naive if you expect elected officials to be some kind of holy puritans in regards to sins of the flesh. they never have been nor ever will be. as far as I'm concerned, if they're good, competent public servants, that's enough. this clown's real sin against his constituents is going awol; THAT'S what he should resign for, not having an affair. if you held your "standard" up against most of the best statesman this country has produced, most of them would fail, and we'd end up with the Wyatt Bunkers of the world running everything. perish THAT thought.
The GOP Adulterer of the Week Soap is so much better than The Young and the Restless.
Actually, after reading the emails that were just released, I have to say he's very well-spoken-- even charming! Who'da thunk it?
The explanation that he was "hiking the appalachian trail" was misheard. What he actually said he was off "hitting some argentinian tail." Honest mistake.
Good one,Clyde!! Word on the street is his Hot Tamale is a socialist!! While Palin was accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists"--Sanford was actually sleeping around with a Socialist. Man, that's some serious stuff. Anyone venture a guess on the next winner of the GOP Pootanger of the Month Award?
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