Argen-fn-tina?

Governor Sanford left the CONTINENT for an affair? Yeah.. I don't fully buy this, either. This, if true, easily makes the top five "I-had-to-see-you-now-take-off-your-clothes" moments in political history(King Eward VIII and Wallis Simpson still remain at number one. When you give up the Crown of England for love, you're hooked!), but it's still hinky. Sanford, his wife, his staff, the media, his supporters, none of them, has a shred of credibility left in the areas of honesty, judgement, or non-gullibility. They all passed on the Official Story, and asked no follow up questions. Or they were willing participants in The Lie. The whole event seems to be getting clumsier by the hour.

Some major points I don't understand:
*Up until last week, he still had passion for his job(Fighting the Stimulus; suing the government). What happened? Is he really that naive to think his erratic behavior wouldn't cause people to talk?
*Did he really have to go see her? She couldn't have flown to South Carolina, allowing him to stay off radar?
*The State newspaper had incriminating emails for almost eight months and didn't follow up? Would they have been a bit quicker if Sanford had a (*D) behind his name? Would they have been quicker if these emails had really existed in December and they really had received them then?(Pure speculation and conspiracy talk on my part--no proof whatsoever..)
*If he resigns, will Bauer follow through with Sanford's suit against the government?
*Sanford's biggest attacks came from within his party: Lt. Governor Andre Bauer and State Senator Jake Knotts talked to anybody with a microphone, as much as they could. They seemed to work in tandem, and whether or not they actually were, their criticisms felt very co-ordinated. Very co-ordinated.

The reason this story fascinates me is not the affair. Voyeuristic, judgemental Christians are the ones hung up on this angle. People make bad decisions when their genitals are involved, but that shouldn't disqualify them from public policy making. My interest lies in the oh-so complete career demolition of a"successful"(well liked/appropriately conservative in a super Red State) Governor and future presidential hopeful, riding a tsunami of collapsing lies and attacks from within his own inner sanctum. And the explanations(to explain the previous explanations that were actually lies)still don't feel right to me.

So, for the third post in a row, let me include:

"Everything is fine. Guhhhhhhhhh.. Everything is fine. Guhhhhhhhhh.."