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Thursday, June 25, 2009 Governor Sanford Flunks Geography of Argentina As almost everyone has heard over the past couple days, South Carolina’s Republican Governor Mark Sanford went AWOL several days last week, ostensibly hiking the Appalachian Trail, before being met at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport by an inquiring reporter from the Columbia daily The State. undefinedIn reality, Sanford had just returned from a "spontaneous" trip to “exotic” Argentina where, he said, he drove the scenic coastline alone. Several observers have pointed out, some with great hilarity, that the governor would first have had to drive several hours through hundreds of...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford declared his Argentine mistress his soul mate Tuesday but said he is committed to reconciling with his wife in hopes of saving his family and what is left of his political career. Sanford, who also admitted meeting his lover more times than he had previously claimed, told The Associated Press in emotional interviews that he "crossed lines" with a handful of other women during 20 years of marriage. But he said he never went as far as he did with Maria Belen Chapur, the woman at the center of...

<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- A 41-year-old Argentine former reporter acknowledged having a relationship with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, saying Sunday that widely published e-mail correspondence between the two was obtained from her account without permission.</p> <p>In a brief statement sent to news network C5n of Buenos Aires, Maria Belen Chapur said she will not talk about her private life, which has already been the focus of intense media scrutiny in the United States and Argentina.</p>

A 41-year-old Argentine woman has acknowledged having a relationship with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. SNIP She denies the hacker was a friend of hers. Chapur says she suspects she knows who the hacker is but will not identify him, because she lacks proof and for legal reasons. She says Sunday's 200-word statement will be her only comment on the matter.

The woman at the heart of a media firestorm following South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's admission of an affair can be seen in a 2001 video working as a freelance reporter for an Argentine TV station. The video, posted online by Argentine news site Infobae.com, shows Maria Belen Chapur delivering a report from New York City on the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for a TV news show called "Despues de hora" on the Spanish-language America network. "Maria Belen was working as a freelance journalist for that show," Sebastian Aguirre, who worked on the show with Chapur, told...