South Carolina’s governor disappeared for six days-and allegedly no one on his staff knew where he was. But they told the media Gov. Mark Sanford was hiking on the Appalachian trail. Come on, people! Sanford’s “dear, dear friend” he met in Argentina last year at a conference, was surely known to someone on his staff. The affair was revealed five months ago, said Sanford. So, his circle of people, not to mention his wife, was certainly in the loop June 18 and days later. Once you’re a public figure, you can’t disappear for six days, let alone six hours, without someone knowing where you are. Watching ABC World News tonight, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos jumped right into the “will his political career survive” conversation. My mind jumped to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomoyer. She took major heat from Sanford’s Republican Party for her membership in an elite women’s group in NY. She was hiding nothing; did nothing wrong; didn’t cheat on a spouse (if she were married) or mislead her staff. Sotomoyer quit the group so it wouldn’t be a distraction. The only thing Sanford has announced he’ll quit is the Republican Governors Association chairmanship. Sure, his rising star in the GOP is dimmed significantly, but he didn’t indicate he would step down as governor. Wife, Jenny asked him to move out two weeks ago. You have to feel bad for their four boys.  Presumably Sanford spent part of that time in a Buenos Aires apartment with his “dear friend.”
So, here we go again with another politician who compartmentalizes life: putting the public persona in one block; spouse-relationship in another block; personal morals and ethics in another. Republican or democrat; man or woman, it has to be amazing to the American public how their elected officials believe, at some level, they don’t have to answer for their bad behavior. Rules for us; rules for everyone else. Don’t you think that if YOU did something remotely immoral, you would get caught..immediately if not sooner? We have to face ourselves in the mirror everyday; other people give no thought that what they are doing is wrong. I’ll bet you any amount of money it’ll come out that Sanford has probably seen his friend more than three times in the past year. If the affair was uncovered five months ago, as Sanford said, why were his six days out of sight not explained by someone? Yes, we’ll hear more from Sanford. The friend’s name will surface along with photos and more explanations. Now, will Sanford go the way of NJ’s Jim McGreevey resigning in disgrace much like NY’s Elliot Spitzer or will Sanford survive as Bill Clinton did? So many politicians, so much forgiveness.