Of course not. There is no excuse. There is also no excuse for adultery and I would never dream of 'excusing' Sanford for that. What I object to, and there has been much of it, is people who condemn him and take up ridiculous name-calling with such vehemence that it appears they would be more than happy to personally toss him into Hell.
What I saw in that press conference was a man who was confessing his sin and asking forgiveness. Was it under pressure? Sure, but who knows what sort of things result in conviction of the heart leading to repentance. Was he sincere? Only God knows that. Once someone has begun the process of seeking forgiveness and repentance it is incumbent upon the rest of the believing community so pray for and support that person seeking to restore them.
That's not what I heard. I heard way too much romantic narrative and not nearly enough shame. Twoo Wuvv... then he started crying, and I suddenly realized that he's crying over the woman, that's she's going to be branded a whore.
That's when I got mad. Where's her picture? Where's the immoral woman who brought this destruction to us?
I want to know what she looks like. And I want the whole world to know what she looks like.