He won't have to resign; he'll be impeached.

Steve, you didn't give a link, but you apparently have more info than I'm finding on the CNN blurb about his presser.

OK, we need her name. Let's see the face that launched the gov.'s pink slip.

So I guess another Family Values Republican's career goes down the toilet, just like Vitter and Craig and Ensign. Oh, wait . . .

So the GOP Comeback Trail(tm) goes through Argentina? It should take them at least 8 years to walk back...

The champions of family values are falling like ninepins. There must be a God after all. Which one will be next?

Well, if it's any consolation Gov., you've made John Ensign very happy.

Okay, so I was off a bit. No pony, no midget. But I bet the plantains were still enjoyed.

look, I feel bad for the man's family, but the guy's a politician, so it's quite legit to take some satisfaction in yet another holier-than-thou Repug getting shown up for his hypocrisy.

oh, and just today Politico ran a (stupid) story about a Repug comeback ... oh well, I'll get that'll have to wait ...

This is all Bill Clinton's fault!

Clinton permanently destroyed the nation's moral fiber ... and Governor Sanford is just an unwilling victim

What a tidal wave of perfidy. I pray for all the little children. They may never recover.

Amazing, but not surprising, how all the male pols and commentators are so touched and forgiving now that he's admitted an affair (with a woman). Really, it's as if he announced he has cancer. On MSNBC, the one person who expressed disgust was a female commentator. Loose dicks are looked upon by men the same way rape is looked upon by woman. There's an instant connection and empathy. Not one of "journalists" at the presser asked the gov who paid for the trip. Or whether he was really unreachable. Both these things are probably impeachable, if not criminal, offenses. They were too busy drying their eyes because this wonderful, wonderful man had to stand up there and admit he sinned.

Sanford can have his "zone of privacy" when the same courtesy is extended to unfaithful Democratic politicians. Until then, he (and McCain, Gingrich, Foley, Craig, Ensign, and all the rest of the Republican hypocrites) can suck my left nut.

I will give his wife credit. I'm sure glad she did not stand up there with him with that "I please shoot me now" look on her face that other wives of cheating politicians would have. It's good to know she is not the kind of woman who allows her husband to humiliate her publicly and then stands next to him holding his hand while he does it. Good for her.

"Sanford."

Not "Stanford."

Every single one of these 'family values' fruitcakes is just nuts for adultery.

How can the Republicans keep up their pretensions?

Having lost pretension, what have they left?

What is it about family values Republicans? Why do most of them lack family values?

He couldn't break it off by telephone. Here is hoping his wife doesn't feel the need to break something off.

Honestly: is anyone surprised?

Mistress in Argentina. Hiking in the mountains. I get it.

Bimbo eruption! Hasta la vista, baby!

I guess the poor guy finally found a stimulus package that he liked.

He limits his apology to "people of faith"? So he's still trying to stake out a little moral high ground? What a jerk-off.

"Until then, he (and McCain, Gingrich, Foley, Craig, Ensign, and all the rest of the Republican hypocrites) can suck my left nut. - Chief Angry Cloud

Jeez, don't tempt the guy. I'm thinking he may go for it.

Another victim of the MSM's "gotcha" journalism.

What I don't get is why the sudden compulsion to 'fess up?

Rest assured that the GOP's apologists in the media will bend over backwards to step back, refuse to criticize, and "allow Sanford to heal" or some such horseshit. You know, just like how the GOP and its lackeys did with Clinton.

Doubtful, as a call back to your comment in the other thread, do you think maybe the Argentinian woman had the abortion? At least Nixon would have approved.

@bobbo --

"People of faith" (like Sanford) are the only ones with moral values. No point in apologizing to the non-religious, lying and cheating is a way of life to us.

If you are going to appall, appall to the max

He should have stuck with his story:

"I meant I was walking Argentina's version of the Appalachian trail.

The alternative universe would have done some furious web-searching, and then backed that up with every gun in the house.

Notice how long it took him to start referring to his friend in Argentina as a woman? He kept saying "this person." Finally he said "she," but I have a suspicion that this is not over yet.....

Mistress? Mistress?

Damn, I was really hoping for an alien abduction story. We already know the "family values" Repubs are fond of infidelity. I really want to see something that the tabloids can pickup and run with. Most rebub voter get their news there anyway.

They have no shame, they're republicans.

"Mrs. Sanford? It's Harper-Collins on the phone for you."

He limits his apology to "people of faith"? So he's still trying to stake out a little moral high ground? What a jerk-off.

Like Atrios said, I guess the atheists and agnostics in S.C. and the nation don't get an apology. Not that it's worth anything. The crack-up of the GOP continues asunder...

Hey Al -

I agree. It is just terrible when this sort of "gotcha" investigative thing happens to GOP lawmakers like Sanford, Vitter, Craig and so on.

This awful thing is called "accountability," and we all know that accountability has a liberal bias.

-Bokonon

odd how nicely he speaks of his affair-partner; odd that he had to go down to Argentina to break up with her/him ... sounds like he still loves this person

somebody ought to plot out the rhythym of these Repug bimbo eruptions, because we might be able to predict when the next one will occur :-)

He's "known" this woman for 8 years! And we are just now learning about her? Journalists, my ass!

Any guesses as to how the clowns on cable will handle this? Remember the cable folks are currently in love with Newt Gingrich.

Here's the questions -

Was his mistress or family members on the payroll?

Did he father any children out of wedlock? If so, will we be facing another international child custody battle?

Why do the GOP always want forgiveness when they screw up? They don't forgive or forget...

I still think its something more just by the way he was stuttering.

He'll now be on all the Sunday talkshows as a "foreign affairs" specialist !

Lets not forget -- the serious aspect of this is that he abandoned his post as Governor for 5 days and took an international trip without notifying staff (?) to pursue an affair. Maybe the SC rubes can forgive him for the affair, now that he has manned up, but there are still real questions about his ability to lead and govern with such behavior.

Alan:
"Having lost pretension, what have they left?"

Hypretension? Or has that stage already been passed?

"What I don't get is why the sudden compulsion to 'fess up?"

It would seem he had back-up until now. I'd guess this wasn't the first time he'd gone "missing" as it may have been a Southern gentleman's agreement. Just this time somebody, maybe even his wife, decided to out the fuck. Good on her if that was the case.

Will it he resign? I doubt it. He'll be taken back into the fold. All the other whores in the party will empathize and he'll be reanointed just like Next. It's South Carolina for crying out loud.

Did anyone else find it annoying how the press kept interrupting Sanford with their questions? I'm not saying that the press shouldn't ask questions, but when a man is imploding right in front of you, just let it happen.

bobbo: "He limits his apology to 'people of faith'? So he's still trying to stake out a little moral high ground? What a jerk-off."

That's "Mister Jerk-Off" to you, heathen infidel. And I'm so confused by your use of that epithet, because hasn't Mark Sanford just admitted that for the past week, he was doing everything but? ;-)

So now that he's cheated on his wife and lied about it, just as Clinton did, the Republicans in the S.C. statehouse will naturally call for his impeachment, right? Right?

Okay, so I was off a bit. No pony, no midget... - BrendanInBoston

Ah, but the day is still young...

I look forward to Jenny Sanford going back to Columbia and kicking him out of the Governors Mansion.

Or maybe not. But it will be a messy divorce :)

I just watched the video (my computer was cranky) and it sounded to me that he apologized to The Other Woman first; he may have meant his wife, who was next mentioned as "my wife," but the immediate referent, in the clause or sentence before, was about the TOW. I suspect he's got his priorities are pretty clear.

Sanford and a Chiquita ?

What WILL we tell the CHILDREN ?

Loser gets the mug

doubtful: He won't have to resign; he'll be impeached.

Never forget the right's ability to forgive the sins of their own.
Never.
As in ever.

I'll bet you a Bob Jones University coffee mug that he stays in office. Don't like coffee? I'll bet you a tee embossed with "I swam in Lake Strom Thurmond."

You know, everything would have been fine if the gays hadn't gone ahead and ruined Sanford's marriage!

Hey Glenn Beck, break out the sock puppets to explain this one.

Spitzer in NY resigned over the being caught in an FBI sting with a hooker. But I think this is far more serious.

You have to wonder who really was running government for the State of South Carolina while the Governor was off in a foreign country having an affair.

That this is unclear I think warrants an official investigation.

Yet another casualty from Teh Gay's "War on Traditional Marriage™".

What is it with Republican politicians and fidelity? First Craig, then Vitter, then Ensign, then Sanford. Nevermind Ginrich and McCain.

Can any of these guys manage to stay faithful to their wives?

You know who else he didn't apologize to. He didn't apologize to his family. His wife, his kids, his friends and his in-laws yep, but his parents (or their memories) and his extended family, no apology given. They must not be people of faith. I wonder if he is going to be invited to any of their houses for Christmas.

I would have expected that he would try do a real Jimmy Swaggart apology. It seems to have all worked out for Jimmy.

"Hiking the Appalachian Trail." At least this sordid mess has given us a great new euphemism! Those two-backed beasts, hauled ashes, etc. were getting old.

At least when the Big Dog got his bj's in the White House, he was close to his work, not 5,000 miles away.

From D.O.M.A.: "The federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman."

Corrected GOP version: "The federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman - and as many mistresses &/or boyfriends as a man can hide and get away with."

Gotta love those family values types and their abject denial. Maybe the Repubs need to officially bring back the job title "Mistress" and just quit all the BS. Ah, well ... guess that would cut out all these little junkets then, wouldn't it ...

/snark

Not one of "journalists" at the presser asked the gov who paid for the trip. Or whether he was really unreachable.

In fairness, a couple of journos tried, but Sanford just ignored them.

Sanford then requested a "zone of privacy" for his family

Hey, how 'bout we give you the same "zone of privacy" the media granted to the Clintons? We never heard any details about Bill's relationship with that woman in the '90s. What was her name? Megan? Mona? Mary? We never did find that out.

Stetson Kennedy:
"You know, everything would have been fine if the gays hadn't gone ahead and ruined Sanford's marriage!"

WIN.

@ a different phil - "Yet another casualty from Teh Gay's "War on Traditional Marriageâ„¢"."

You know who's REALLY waging a war on traditional marriage? Women who are willing to give head to married dudes.

Just sayin'.

dating myself here..they musta all gone to a party where there was spanish fly in the kool-ade bowl?

sounds like they all need a dose of saltpeter in their freedom fries...

maybe they all watched that cable show about 70's suburban swingers...and thought "hey, i should try that..."

by the way..if he took this trip on the taxpayers dime, while leaving his job and his state in limbo...that should be grounds for impeachment

heard an interview with the lt gov on npr this am [pre revelations] and he was not amused...didn't sound like they were good buddies....

the ultimate explaination...in love AND war, all this party does is think with their dicks....

In the very first Sanford thread, I said that we should hold off on mocking him until we knew that something really bad had not happened.

So, having said that, I certainly hope that the Argentinian roads he was driving were well-cared-for. There's nothing I hate more than finding a nice stretch of open road, that's so covered in overgrowth that I can barely see where I'm going. Really, you don't even need to be a skilled weed-whacker to clear away those bushes.

Per DailyKos.com

Fox was running the news conference with the (D) and not the correct (R) next to Governor Sanford's name.

How many times has these happened and what will it take for the DNC to get some b*lls and make this an issue??

No way is this just a typo.

DAMN! I leave the computer for a few minutes, and all hell breaks loose.

I still stand by "Gambling in Havana/went home with the waitress."

So, I got the details wrong- shoot me.

And now we can move on to the awarding of the latest Scarlet H for hypocracy. (The Scarlet A has long been retired since the passage of Griswold vs Connecticut, Roe vs Wade, etcetera ad infinitum. . .)

Abrupt Departure. Leaving your sons on Father's Day. Atlanta. Argentina. Appalachian Trail. Adventure trips.

I'm not buying it. Even the affair. As Edgar G Robinson says in Double Indemnity: "Something has been worked on us."

BTW. Recall how the corporate chit chat media swallowed the whole hiking cover story with "mystery solved" headlines?

The gossip part of this is interesting. I'm human, and I admit interest in that.

The part where he gets impeached comes from the abdication of all responsibility for a week, apparently without notice to anyone. Seriously, who does that? What kind of a sheltered life and/or mental issues could explain these decisions of his?

BrendaInBoston - too long for a bumper sticker, but that's one of the funnier things I've read all week.

And Fox labels him a democrat.

How can anyone take them seriously? Are 23% of our country that fucking stupid?

Hey, at least I keep my affairs IN AMERICA, the way God intended.

After a quick scan of both the original article and the comments I don't see what I thought was the money quote from Senor Sanford; sorry if I'm repeating.

“I’ve spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina.�

I didn't make this up. I'm not that creative.

http://www.thestate.com/sanford/story/839231.html

I couldn't be happier.

We all have our foibles. Let he among who is without sin cast . . .

Wait a minute! As an SC Congressman Sanford voted to impeach Clinton figuring that a constitutional crisis was worth punishing lying about adultery. Said Sanford back in the day "You would set in place an awfully cancerous growth if you let people out there think, 'I know the president lies, so I can too."' [AP, 12/16/98]
http://www.dnc.org/a/2005/10/in_their_own_wo.php

Reap what you freakin sow, guv.

The governor proceeded to apologize, in order, to: * his wife

Sadly, no. The first person Sanford apologized to is his Argentinian squeeze.

Oh, and kos notes that Fox has once again identified a disgraced Republican with a "D" next to his name.
The Daily Show definitely needs to get on this one, because it's happened many times now, and it's definitely no accident.

The fact that this apology was only directed to family, friends, consituents, and "people of faith" really ticks me off - and instantly costs Sanford any residual sympathy I might have for him.

People of faith, huh?

After a quick scan of both the original article and the comments I don't see what I thought was the money quote from Senor Sanford; sorry if I'm repeating.

"I’ve spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina."

I didn't make this up. I'm not that creative.

I think this quote is also pretty good:

He had considered hiking the trail, he said. "But I said, no, I wanted to do something exotic."

I'll take "I saw this coming from a hemisphere away" for 1,000, Alex.

So this guy didn't tell his wife, who knew about the mistress, that he was flying to Argentina for five(!) days, over father's day, no less, to break it off with the aforementioned mistress.

I call shenanigans.

And on a related note, Erick Erickson from Red State has decided to come clean and has admitted that he often doesn't know what he is blogging about:

"I've let down a lot of people; that's the bottom line," he said, adding, "I would ask their forgiveness.... All I can say is that I apologize."

Mr Erickson declined to answer questions on whether he will refrain from blogging going forward.

In the immortal words of another great Sanford:

"You big dummy!"

"Spitzer" - you didn't have an affair. In all fairness, he wasn't a moral values crusader, so it's not as hypocritical as some of the other Republicans. Unless his flights to Argentina affects his ability to govern, his marital issues are his own business.

Hey, how 'bout we give you the same "zone of privacy" the media granted to the Clintons? We never heard any details about Bill's relationship with that woman in the '90s. What was her name? Megan? Mona? Mary? We never did find that out.

Posted by: Screamin' Demon on June 24, 2009 at 3:28 PM

HAHAHAHA! Perfect.

Somewhere in Argentina, a 20 year old man is finding out via a press conference that Governor Sanford is breaking up with him.

My husband and I watched his press conference and thought he seemed like he was having a break with reality, such as when he said he'd spent the last five days "crying in Argentina" Yecch. I'm old enough to remember Nixon's "My mother was a saint" meltdown the night before he resigned. This had that same kind of get-the-butterfly-net feeling to it.

@andy - "Unless his flights to Argentina affects his ability to govern, his marital issues are his own business."

HE FLEW TO THE SOUTHERN TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA FOR A WEEK WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE! I think his ability to govern was affected when he spent five days crying with (nailing) the Girl From Ipanema!

Sheesh!

Andy, who wasn't a moral values crusader, Elliot Spitzer or Gov. Sanford. I will give you the former, but the later has been identified as being a serious family values warrior. Funny how it turns out he didn't have any values all along and soon he won't have a family.

Am I the only one here to say: "Who cares?"

Instead of blaming the press for his failure to protect his family, he should provide that "zone of privacy" to them by resigning his position as Governor and attending to his own personal failures and choices. He is not fit to be governor and the last few days prove it.

The very fact that he wanted to deprive his state of badly needed stimulus money is proof enough that his mind has been elsewhere for the last few months. I feel very sorry for the people who depend on a stable government in South Carolina. That man looks to be anything but stable, he seems to be way too self absorbed.

@jaytk - "Somewhere in Argentina, a 20 year old man is finding out via a press conference that Governor Sanford is breaking up with him."

Bravo. Line of the thread.

@jaytk - "Somewhere in Argentina, a 20 year old man is finding out via a press conference that Governor Sanford is breaking up with him."

Bravo. Line of the thread.

Agreed!

Finally a legitimate reason to put Newt on TV: "As someone with numerous infidelities in your own past, please comment on why are so many 'family values' republicans such lying hypocrites. And whose conduct was least reprehensible, yours, Vitter's, or Sanford's, and why?"

In the immortal words of another great Sanford:
"You big dummy!"

Ha ha ha! Thread of the day!

And the truly stupid Repubs who only watch Fox will not know that Sanford is a Repub. And some of these Fox only people are highly educated people. I know more than a few of them and they are like sheep. What Fox says is the gospel truth. I think Fox does this crap on purpose because they know that their loyal viewers will believe what ever Fox says.

"As the governor began to walk away from the podium, a reporter asked, "Are you going to resign?" Sanford continued to walk away. When the same reporter asked a Sanford aide the same question, he said, "Thank you" and ended the press conference."

At least he didn't fall into the trap of trying to be a pundit by answering repeated hypothetical questions from partisan hacks.

Can't speak...overcome...by...the...schadenfreude.

KABOOM!!

(I ate too much popcorn)

It looked to me like a late middle age breakdown, like he's over the top emotionally and sexually involved and he's still grieving. The dear, dear friend bit, the first thing out of his mouth was the apology first to HER, that he hurt HER. All the planning, going back and forth to Argentina, for god's sake, the dedication and work involved in carrying on with someone thousands of miles away?? He saw her only 8 times he said? He knows exactly how many times? Awesome.

And him, there stammering and crying and going on and on about having to begin the process of working this out, like he knows that emotionally there's no way of putting his life back together.
This is an obsessive, emotionally broken person. It's true what they say about these repressed corporate republican types, when they break, they break into pieces.

I wonder how our friends over at RedState and Free Republic are taking this news?

I think I'll go over and have a look. This should be entertaining. Because RedState was running interference for Sanford as late as yesterday ... and they are now probably going batsh!t insane.

A glimpse into the inner workings of the Family Values Republican brain during the Sanford press conference:

Sanford’s other woman is an Argentinian woman...

I bet she has a nice big ass.

Sanford’s other woman is an Argentinian transsexual...

Oooh, hot, hot! Next stop, Brazil!

Sanford’s other woman is an Argentinian man...

I am so totally turned on right now.

This is a wonderful opportunity to enrich the English language: "I'm planning to spend all this weekend at home doing the southern end of Appalachian Trail with the wife."

Now, I've never had an international affair, but it seems to me breaking one off shouldn't require flying to the other country. Wouldn't it work just as well to *not go to Argentina* any more? It's not like trying to avoid your paramour who works at the neighborhood Starbucks.

>>This is a wonderful opportunity to enrich the English language: "I'm planning to spend all this weekend at home doing the southern end of Appalachian Trail with the wife."

Go Appalachian trail yourself... *g*

Oh, and kos notes that Fox has once again identified a disgraced Republican with a "D" next to his name.

The NYT article wasn't much better. Although it parenthetically mentions his resignation from the Republican Gov's Ass several grafs in, they never explicitly identify his party affiliation, though both Spitzer and Blago are directly tagged as Dems in the same article.

Maybe FOX is really on top of the news: While in Argentina Sanford discovered liberalism was right for him after all, and has quietly changed affiliation.

NOT-MY-FAULT!

Damn this penis thingie, anyway. . .

I've just spent the last five days of my life ****ing in Argentina. So please just leave us in our cone of silence!

In a sane nation this man's erratic, irresponsible actions (not including the affair, even) would disqualify him from running for president.

You know, most states allow an employer to consider an employee as having abandoned his job if he doesn't report to work or call in for 3 days. If SC has this provision then Sanford has voluntarily abandoned his job. New Gov takes over. No benefits no pension for Sanford.

Let's keep asking, why Eliot Spitzer dumped so quick, so then Ensign and Sanford should go zippity too.

By the looks of this guy it's hard to imagine how he managed to convince an Argentinian woman to sleep with him.

I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!

Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!