Why no thread yet? He's been gone for days. Just admitted to an affair in Argentina. Resigned as chairman of GOP Governors Association. Discuss.

6/24/2009 2:46:19 PM

newsflash: governors get busy with interns and us nationals in argentina


oh wait..

6/24/2009 2:48:31 PM

1. i don't care

2. message_topic.aspx?topic=569426

6/24/2009 2:48:54 PM

Quote :

"What a freaking fiasco! But did anybody else see that chipmunk over Sanford's right shoulder? The more heartfelt he got, the more she grinned--an ugly display of schadenfreude."

6/24/2009 2:53:48 PM

This is just on the topic of him missing, before any of the affair stuff came to light, but still worth a watch:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/231688/june-23-2009/governor-alert---the-search-for-mark-sanford

[Edited on June 24, 2009 at 2:54 PM. Reason : .]

6/24/2009 2:54:07 PM

NOT the first time fox has done this.

6/24/2009 3:10:34 PM

ha, yep

6/24/2009 3:12:40 PM

Is no "true" marriage's sanctity safe from the onslaught of gay marriage?

6/24/2009 3:15:24 PM

that whole Fox News thing is fucking hilarious and this guy is an idiot

6/24/2009 3:17:16 PM

I hope she is hotter than the broad John Edwards was railing.

And lol at Fox.

6/24/2009 3:18:36 PM

^ you know what they say about latina women

6/24/2009 4:07:42 PM

wow this guy's dumb.

wtf is wrong with people in the spotlight, how fucking stupid can they be?!?

6/24/2009 4:23:20 PM

^ Yep. If you can't keep your dick in your pants, at least keep it in WHILE YOU'RE HOLDING A HIGH-PROFILE PUBLIC OFFICE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!

6/24/2009 4:25:36 PM

the affair doesn't bother me at all. the being away from any contact with the rest of your state gov't for days is what bothers me about this story.

6/24/2009 4:29:54 PM

Quote :

"the affair doesn't bother me at all. the being away from any contact with the rest of your state gov't for days is what bothers me about this story."

not to mention

Quote :

"the affair doesn't bother me at all. the being away from any contact with the rest of your state gov't for days your kids on fathers day is what bothers me about this story."

6/24/2009 4:36:08 PM

Who gives a shit. Powerful/Rich men have cheated on their wives since the dawn of time

6/24/2009 4:43:11 PM

useless with out pics the mistress.




[Edited on June 24, 2009 at 6:21 PM. Reason : i can say with a 75-85% certainty without seeing, the mistress looks better]

6/24/2009 6:13:58 PM

What a stupid douche. I feel bad for his kids because this will tear their family apart.

6/24/2009 6:59:31 PM

holy shit, what an asshole.
I was laughing before, but now after seeing he has 4 young boys......

6/24/2009 7:02:36 PM

whats the fucking big deal?

OMG a married guy with kids cheated on his wife!

6/24/2009 7:05:52 PM

^ yes, men cheat on their wives. Especially politicians. It's one thing, though, to cheat on your wife if you don't have kids, or even if your kids are older or out of the house.
But to be a public figure, and by extension your family are public figures, when you have 3 kids under 10? Come on, dude - that's unacceptable.


anyway, i'm back to laughing

take a guess who said the following about whom:

Quote :

"“The bottom line, though, is I am sure there will be a lot of legalistic explanations pointing out that the president lied under oath. His situation was not under oath. The bottom line, though, is he still lied. He lied under a different oath, and that is the oath to his wife. So it’s got to be taken very, very seriously.” 12/18/98"

Quote :

"“I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally (to resign). I come from the business side. If you had a chairman or president in the business world facing these allegations, he’d be gone.” 9/12/98"

Quote :

"“The issue of lying is probably the biggest harm, if you will, to the system of Democratic government, representatives government, because it undermines trust. And if you undermine trust in our system, you undermine everything.” 2/16/99"

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/24/sanford-affair/

6/24/2009 7:20:19 PM

As terrible and stupid as it was, I could probably overlook this and be fine with him keeping his job...if the damn conservatives didn't have a platform that specifically calls out this sort of behavior.

That better have been some of the best trim Argentina has to offer. And if we find out this broad is anything less than a 9.8 on a 10 scale, he needs to be booted immediately.

6/24/2009 7:28:55 PM

I can't wait until prostitution and polyamory become more mainstream.
That way, most people wouldn't care if politicians got some on the side... their spouses might not even care.[/not in my lifetime]

6/24/2009 7:32:58 PM

Quote :

"From Gov. Sanford, Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 12:24 a.m. “One, tomorrow leave at 5 a.m. for New York and meetings. Will think about you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when you are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the National Governor's Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour. Few days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friend’s boat for the last break of the summer. The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home ... [agentlion: ha, wouldn't that have been great if Sanford and Edwards were the 2 VP picks and both got booted because of affairs] Two, mutual feelings .... You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night’s light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details ... Three and finally, while all the things above are all too true - at the same time we are in a hopelessly - or as you put it impossible - or how about combine and simply say hopelessly impossible situation of love. How in the world this lightening strike snuck up on us I am still not quite sure. As I have said to you before I certainly had a special feeling about you from the first time we met, but these feelings were contained and I genuinely enjoyed our special friendship and the comparing of all too many personal notes ... Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is ground I have never certainly never covered before - so if you have pearls of wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know... In the meantime please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul.”"

Quote :

"From Gov. Sanford, Tuesday, July 8, 1:42 a.m. “Got back an hour ago to civilization and am now in Columbia after what was for me a glorious break from reality down at the farm. No phones ringing and tangible evidence of a day's labors. Though I have started every day by 6 this morning woke at 4:30, I guess since my body knew it was the last day, and I went out and ran the excavator with lights until the sun came up. To me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is something wonderful about listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditioner running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the back ground, the tranquillity that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and marsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds - and getting to build something with each scoop of dirt.”"

quite the poet

http://www.thestate.com/sanford/story/839350.html

6/24/2009 7:36:22 PM

i thought it was nice

YOU'RE JUST HATIN ON AGRARIANS

6/24/2009 8:04:44 PM

Is gov performing his job?

Is he neglecting his duties in support of his affair?

If no than get the fuck over it and show your dissatisfaction over his un-family morals type behavior at the pools.

6/24/2009 9:31:26 PM

Quote :

"Is gov performing his job?"

hmm.... well, considering he was attempting to reject Federal stimulus money, much of which was going to fund his state's Unemployment Insurance benefits, and considering his state has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and they're running out of money, all transparently for simply political reasons, then no, i'd say he was not performing his job.

6/24/2009 10:09:13 PM

^those are all somewhat debatable political issues. the best answer to his questions is:

dude took a 5 day leave with out telling anyone where he was, nobody apparently had means to locate him or knew when he would be back. at any other job, that would be considered job abandonment, i'm pretty sure he is neglecting his duties in support of his affair



i'm kinda torn on this one, I felt like Sanford would actually be able to make the Republican party return to fiscal conservatism, in which case they would be more relevant to me. his game of chicken with the SC legislature was regretable but actually showed me he had some gumption to stand up for his beliefs. we don't need states to become "yes men" for Obama

6/24/2009 10:28:42 PM

rejecting the so-called "stimulus" money was doing his job. looks like he's ruined now though.

6/24/2009 10:30:06 PM

Quote :

"Is he neglecting his duties in support of his affair?"

I'd say disappearing for a week with no contact would be the very definition of neglect of duties. This man should be impeached for that and that alone. If you ditched your job for a week, you wouldn't have one when you came back.

Quote :

"well, considering he was attempting to reject Federal stimulus money"

Federal money always comes with strings attached, not to mention the questionable efficiency of collecting money from the states simply to redistribute it to said states and the questionable morality of collecting money from one geographic area and redistributing it amongst other geographic areas, again, with strings.

Quote :

"show your dissatisfaction over his un-family morals type behavior at the pools."

Pools.


Alpha males generally get what they want, and fuck what they want, this isn't anything new. At least this is more exciting than performing cliche cigar hiding tricks on a questionably attractive intern in the oval office or footsie in an airport bathroom.

6/24/2009 10:34:05 PM

we need pics of this mistress

6/24/2009 10:35:52 PM

Yes. Yes we do. She had better be stunning.

6/24/2009 10:52:52 PM

going another country means it is less likely for pics...unless he has some there is a small chance we will see any pics. but you never know those reporters love some love drama...

[Edited on June 24, 2009 at 11:06 PM. Reason : ah well they have her email so pics are more likely thanks to social sites.]

6/24/2009 10:54:12 PM

Just think, if Sanford had wagged his finger like Bill Clinton did and lied about his affair, everyone would've loved him. Wait, Sanford's a conservative--never mind.

But, but. . ."family values," blah, blah, blah.

6/25/2009 8:00:44 AM

Quote :

"useless with out pics the mistress. "

6/25/2009 9:28:06 AM

Quote :

"useless with out pics the mistress. "

6/25/2009 9:28:06 AM

Quote :

"dude took a 5 day leave with out telling anyone where he was, nobody apparently had means to locate him or knew when he would be back. at any other job, that would be considered job abandonment, i'm pretty sure he is neglecting his duties in support of his affair"

Also

Quote :

"South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford visited Argentina exactly one year ago as part of a state-funded trade mission, according to a copy of the trip itinerary obtained by CNN. Sanford admitted Wednesday that he'd been having an extramarital affair with a Buenos Aires woman. It's unknown whether Sanford spent time on the South Carolina Department of Commerce trip with the Buenos Aires woman. However, Sanford said the woman was a longtime friend he had known for eight years. He said the friendship "sparked" into something more "about a year ago.""

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/24/south.carolina.sanford.argentina/

These and other reasons that I'm sure will come to light are why this matters. Clinton was wrong to do what he did, and he was impeached for it. However, he didn't spend money on trips to visit Lewinsky (I don't think I ever saw that, at least), and he certainly didn't leave for 5 days to another country without telling anyone else where he was going or leaving anyone else in charge.

[Edited on June 25, 2009 at 9:42 AM. Reason : .]

6/25/2009 9:40:20 AM

^ Oh, yeah--and Sanford probably was misusing his staff in some way, too. I think Sanford should resign just for being out of contact for several days--this alone is reason enough.

Clinton did a number of unlawful things that I won't rehash here. I mean, he paid Paula Jones $850,000 for something--and, of course, there were all the other allegations and so on.

[Edited on June 25, 2009 at 9:46 AM. Reason : .]

6/25/2009 9:42:30 AM

I have a lot of respect for his wife:

Quote :

"I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state. I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children. I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week. I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage. Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance. This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family. "

6/25/2009 1:17:38 PM

wow

now that is how you do a statement.

6/25/2009 1:40:50 PM

Haven't seen it mentioned, but technically he can be prosecuted for this:

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/CODE/t16c015.htm

SECTION 16-15-60. Adultery or fornication.

Quote :

"Any man or woman who shall be guilty of the crime of adultery or fornication shall be liable to indictment and, on conviction, shall be severally punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than one year or by both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court. "

Of course no prosecutor or court would go through with it, but it's interesting nonetheless. And, at the least, it could be used to force his resignation if he doesn't do it voluntarily.

[Edited on June 25, 2009 at 1:47 PM. Reason : a]

6/25/2009 1:46:31 PM

Women are both smart and crazy at the same time. She basically knows she has him by the balls now. So rather than kicking him to the curb and have to go through the annoying trouble of getting half his money in a nasty, long, court divorce trial and be left trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She can get half of his money AND he has to be her bitch and she won't have to go to trial to get it.

This is no different than the Edwards situation. Now, if the average blow does this, with no finances and nothing worth keeping around, booted right out the door.

6/25/2009 1:49:14 PM

ahahahah

6/25/2009 2:04:03 PM

Damn, maybe she should be governor.

6/25/2009 2:46:12 PM

more brilliance from Limbaugh -- It was obama's fault!!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/limbaugh-on-the-sanford-affair-its-obamas-fault.php

6/25/2009 5:04:11 PM

^

Quote :

""This is almost like, 'I don't give a damn, the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, I just want out of here,'" said Limbaugh. "He had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to South Carolina. He didn't want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said, 'What the Hell. I mean, I'm -- the federal government's taking over -- what the Hell, I want to enjoy life.'""

Funny.... he started the affair a year ago

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/06/25/bregman.sanford/index.html
I actually like this article - quite reasonable about the whole situation actually

6/25/2009 5:07:31 PM

Limbaugh is the anchor that is going to drag the ignorant, and currently dominant, wing of the Republican party to the electoral abyss.

Quote :

"Women are both smart and crazy at the same time. She basically knows she has him by the balls now. So rather than kicking him to the curb and have to go through the annoying trouble of getting half his money in a nasty, long, court divorce trial and be left trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She can get half of his money AND he has to be her bitch and she won't have to go to trial to get it."

Exactly. She's no dummy, not being a politicians wife. Shit they're usually more vicious than the politician themselves. Having met a few wives of politicians, I don't blame them for cheating.


Honestly, this sort of thing couldn't be better for Mitt Romney's shot at the nomination. Winning will be a completely different matter.

6/25/2009 5:26:07 PM

michael jackson's gonna bury this stuff

6/25/2009 5:56:24 PM

Quote :

"michael jackson's gonna bury this stuff"

LIKE SANFORD BURIED IT IN THAT ARGENTINEAN VAG, AMIRITE?!?

6/25/2009 6:06:08 PM

tried a little to hard there bud.

6/25/2009 6:23:52 PM