Am I the only person who doesn't give a shit about this story? Regardless of what this man has done, regardless of his excuses, his lies, and his life falling apart around him, MY job is still hanging by a thread. MY house is still gone, and MY world will still be fucked if he resigns. So is perpetuating this kind of tabloid story supposed to make me feel better about my life because this dude is a Republican? Please!

Classic. I hope this story never ends.

What's with these people?

They are trying to lead emotionally unsustainable lives, and it's bringing down the entire GOP.

It is important that you hold Governor Sanford accountable for undercounting the number of times he slept with his mistress but I hope this doesn't limit the space you give to the Michael Jackson story.

DIVE!

DIVE!

DIVE!

AAAAAOOOOOOOOOOGAAA

AAAAAOOOOOOOOOOGAAA

How does Koppelman hold his breath so long?

No one has said...and no one has asked...how much his little tryst cost the South Carolina taxpayers? If he misappropriated state assets to carry out his escapades (like driving a state vehicle to the airport), he should be held accountable and impeached. Immediately.

Why do Republicans always get a free pass???

I always brought along a "spiritual adviser" to help me break up with my girlfriends.

Sanford's problem is he a pussy. What he really wanted to do was break up with his wife.

There is news to this story, but it has nothing to do with who is sticking their penis into whom. That is none of my business, and frankly I don't give a shit.

The issue is the head of SC's state government saw fit to leave his post without telling anyone where he was going and when he'd be back, and during Atlantic hurricane season at that!

A whole slew of issues could have arisen that the voters of SC trusted this man to take care of, and if (god forbid) they had - where would he have been? Nobody knew!

The press is doing us a great disservice by focusing on the affair. They should instead be asking Gov. Sanford the following questions:

-Republicans present themselves as the party of national security. How does going AWOL from your leadership post factor into that scenario?

-Is Atlantic hurricane season that the best time for a SC governor to go on an unannounced vacation?

-Do state workers in SC now have carte blanche to temporarily abandon their posts without notice?

Well, seeing it is all about you, why do you bother to post here?

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford intends to stay in his current job, and so far, it appears that most other politicians in his state, even his rivals, are content to let him do so.

And therein lies the crux of the problem. If they're going to let this guy keep his job, I don't want to hear any Republican bring up the name "Clinton" and/or "Lewinsky" ever again.

She's got extremely pin-thin arms and legs and her head looks very big for her body. Those are some visual signs of anorexia.

I notice the "other woman" has a few curves on her.

Maybe there's some eating disorder drama behind the scenes?

I'm not trying to excuse his cheating, but wow -- those scrawny arms and legs and giant head suggest Jenny Sanford might have major control issues of her own.

Christian conservatism is emotionally unsustainable. That looks like the bottom line here.

Re: my last post about Sanford really wanting to break up with his wife . . . .

Dude, mission accomplished! Don't backtrack now! Be a man. Say adios to your harpy wife and hook up with that Latin American hottie. F**k 'em if they can't take a joke. Show this country that the GOP has some stones!

it's extraordinary to me that this guy's allowed to stay in office. who cares about the affair itself -- that's just human, personal, and understandable -- it's his apparent inability to tell the truth about it that ought to raise major red flags. does no one else find it troubling that a sitting governor LEFT THE FUCKING COUNTRY not only without telling anyone his whereabouts, but actually lying to his own staff about it? and now he admits he was also lying about the "mea culpa" press conference for which he was mostly praised -- because of its supposed openness and honesty?

by the way, i DO live in a state where we're screwed because the governor resigned -- in this case, because he paid for a hooker and lied about it. somehow, that seems like small potatoes next to this clown. now we've got a deadlocked state senate, a highly unpopular, unelected governor, and no lt. governor to break the tie in the senate. i wouldn't wish this on anyone, but fair's fair.

the most troubling aspect of all this to me BY FAR is that this man is clearly lost in life and deeply unhappy. if he were truly honest with himself, his wife and his constituency, he would resign immediately and go live in argentina, working on a fishing boat or building grass huts. he obviously loves this woman and can't stay away from her, no matter what he says.

Seriously, he is proving to be a liability to his state with all of these lies. He has a serious case of lyingitis. The man is rotten and done. South Carolina, wash your hands of him. Everyone there will be better off.

The press is doing us a great disservice by focusing on the affair.

Excellent and valid points all, but you know the Village and their water carriers in the media: nothing gets their hearts all aflutter like a good sex scandal. As you've correctly stated, that isn't the real story here, but our press -- with some notable exceptions -- operates not unlike a group of junior high school-aged girls: the gossip and innuendo are so much more fun to snicker and endlessly talk about than actually covering the story!