Posted on 06/24/2009 12:13:57 PM PDT by FromLori
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina, apologized in a rambling news conference on Wednesday for having an extra-marital affair with a woman in Argentina, ending a mystery over his week-long disappearance that had infuriated lawmakers and seemed to put his rising political career in jeopardy.
Governor Sanford admitted he had been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since Thursday, not hiking on the Appalachian Trail as he told his staff. In revealing an affair that had gone on for about a year — and which he had disclosed to his wife, Jenny, five months ago, he said: “This was selfishness on my part.”
Mr. Sanford announced on Wednesday that he was resigning his position as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
In an interview with The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday morning, Mr. Sanford said he had taken an unplanned trip to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over accepting a portion of the federal stimulus funding.
He had considered hiking the trail, he said. “But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic,” Mr. Sanford told The State. “It’s a great city.”
Only at the news conference did he reveal why he traveled there.
The whispers about the missing governor started as early as Friday, when one lawmaker and outspoken rival of Mr. Sanford was quietly outraged that the governor had left the state without a plan for a transfer of power in the event of an emergency.
State Senator John M. Knotts, Jr., a Republican, said in a telephone interview that he got a tip from a caller — whom he would not identify —
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I agree, of course. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise.
So if he hasn't seen her if five months then why the sudden need to fly down and tell he it's over? I would have thought that the time lapse alone would have indicated that. Or hopefully he would have called it off before he broke the news to his wife.
I’m not saying he didn’t go down to continue the affair, just that at this moment we don’t know that to be the case.
It would certainly strain anyone's credulity to believe that.
It was a resume enhancer for Bill Clinton. His poll number went sky high!!!
It does seem odd that he flew down to end it, although he might have been trying to make sure it went “smoothly” so she wouldn’t talk about it.
If he had broken up by phone, there would be a risk she would get mad and blab.
BTW, I am not defending him. If I can avoid having an affair, so can he and other stupid republicans. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
Another story says his wife just separated with him 2 weeks ago in the hopes that would drive him to fix the marriage.
That would explain why he went down there this week.
Sure. If you want to fix your marriage then the first thing you do is run off to see the reason your marriage is crumbling in the first place. Good plan.
My statement wasn't meant to reflect anything that you wrote. It was a simple comment based upon seeing a portion of the program documenting her struggle this past May.
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