...do not ask the wingnut or Camille Paglia what they think about this.

From what the report says, this apparently was part of the Gov.'s personal email account, not his state supplied official email. How did the paper obtain these emails?

Why do people - R and D alike - torment themselves, holding up false 'moral' beliefs, in the face of such genuine human emotion. If only everyone allowed themselves to find their 'Maria' - or Mario - might the world not be a happier place?

Bow-wow-wow

Yippee-yo

Yippee-yay

Bow-wow

Yippee-yo

Yippee-yay!

NOTHING BUT THE DOG IN ME.........

G. Clinton - Atomic Dog..

after "world wind tour."

Aaaagh! It's "whirlwind tour" or "world tour"! Goddamn it! I know I'm being pedantic, but aren't governors supposed to be a cut above the average?

Ah yes, Sarah Palin.

*sigh*

Sanford is a terrible governor and shouldn't have cheated on his wife, but these e-mails add nothing of substance to what is publicly known. Salon shouldn't publish them.

Unless these were sent to/from his work account or "Maria" was somehow employed by Mr. Sanford or involved in a related government agency, their email correspondence isn't anyone's business.

I feel sorry for Maria and even a little sorry for Sanford. After hearing his wife Jenny wax on about Job and Solomon, I feel a little sorry (very little) for the man Sanford wanted to be. Mid-life crisis in full blooom in South Carolina.

yep.

Those dittoes were for your comment.

I am wondering if the lover is male of female... The whole "god's law" thing seems a bit... closeted?

ssia

It seems fairly obvious that a story was going to be coming, and that Sanford was hearing footsteps. The question is who leaked the emails to the paper, and what legwork did the reporters do before Sanford decided it was time to cry in Argentina?

And: Can we start to make bets about how often TV comics will play Westside Story's "Maria" as background music for this absurd and sad story?

I actually read that.

I trusted you, Salon.

And that's two minutes I'll never get back.

Things have been seen that cannot be unseen.

Seriously, is this "news"?

Or even human interest?

I'm embarrassed for him, for her, for his wife, for the US Government, for Salon, and for myself now.

So, yeah...thanks.

I expect they'll alternate "Maria" with "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," and a few other tracks from "Evita." Aside from spelling, the man doesn't write a half bad love letter. There is a human being under that conservative prig exterior (and you may spell "prig" however you wish). How sad the way Christian sanctimony warps perfectly decent minds.

I have to say, while I'm no generally one to be sympathetic to someone like Sanford (in fact, I tend to revel in the Republicans' moralistic hypocrisy), I have to admit, I kind of found the letter touching. It's rare these things come up and the culprit politician looks ... human. Of course, it's this very humanity that I frequently wish the Republicans would be more merciful toward, but alas, they usually only have sympathy if it's one of their own. (Still can't shake the image of John McCain shaking Bristol Palin's Baby Daddy's hand, as if to say, "Good job, young man. You've got a fine, functional penis!")

Sigh. It's all eye rolling and hyperbole. If this were a movie, he'd leave the wife and run off to marry the Argentinian mistress. Make it cinematic enough, and he might pick up votes. Bah. If there's any truth to that letter, than he's just as big a hypocrite as the vast Closeted Gay Republican network. Amazing what garbage these people fill their heads with, and then try to make the rest of us live up to.

Still, all that being said, I'm amazed we've gone this long without seeing the headline, "How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria."

"You are incredibly boring. You are a manila envelope glued to a beige wall. You're walking, talking Ambien."

Can't even praise a good pair of tits without getting all Hallmark about it... What a tool!

and that was the native English speaker. Unless, of course, it's a pun.

If these are from a non-state email account, it's definitely an invasion of privacy. I wonder how the paper came into their possession? Jenny Sanford? One of their children? Pissed off relative? The mind boggles.

I also feel some sympathy for the parties involved. Mostly for the kids. I agree he's a raging hypocrite and personally deserves his comeuppance. I generally don't give a crap about politicians sex lives, but if you're blasting other people's morals while cheating on your wife, you deserve whatever scorn comes your way.

In regards to this particular email, it was obviously sent last summer. Which means he was carrying on his affair while McCain was going through the VP vetting process. I wonder if McCain's staff had any whiff of this?

...for millions of blog commentators to chortle over? What a surreal nightmare.

I have officially started to feel sorry for this poor schmuck.

This ass clown is toast. Who is the Lt Governor of South Carolina?

Actually, I don't want to read this stuff. I'm not interested in voyeuristically snooping in Mr. Sanford's private life and hopefully you won't print any more. I do have two words for Mr. Sanford:

FUCKING HYPOCRITE

I would like to think that this collision with human frailty would cause him to think twice about being a hard ass with everybody else who has to struggle with life but probably he won't.

Come one now. I didn't read it after the first three words. You could have done the same...

Who would release these personal e-mails?

I'm thinkin' his father-in-law, whom he mentioned in the press conference as being "gentlemanly" when he told him about the affair.

The fact of the affair is relevant and is news. The details of his deception are even newsworthy.

His private love notes are not.

This crosses the line. What is this, the Enquirer?