Let’s examine the layers of recklessness involved in the Sanford affair.
1.) Mark Sanford is not a private person and he does not have what you or I would define as a private life. He should understand this. Think of how many fellow politicians have proved this for him. Sen. Ensign, Sen. Vitter, Sen. Craig, Gov. Spitzer, Pres. Clinton and on and on it goes. All these guys have giant egos and each and every one of them thought they could get away with it. They were all wrong.
2.) Unfortunatey, in 2009 America, an affair isn’t exactly shocking, or even surprising. However, leaving your high profile job as governor for five days is. His disappearing act was reckless beyond belief because it virtually ensured that this would blow his family up.
3.) Using a government email account to communcate with your lover, well that isn’t just reckless, it’s incredibly stupid. Because he did this, his embarrassing emails are being published for everyone from his boys to his worst political enemies to read.
4.) I can’t get past the monumental selfishness involved in what Mark Sanford did. The man has four young sons. How can you ever look at those boys again and expect them to respect you as a father, as a man. They probably will, eventually. But not before a lot of pain and heartache.
5.) If you can’t stay faithful to your wife, which is the worse sin, cheating on her or asking her for a divorce because you found someone else? Most men seem to think they can have both, the affair and the marriage. It makes sense because the act of cheating itself is incredibly selfish one.
6.) The statement from Gov. Sanford’s wife Jenny is amazing in its honesty, faith and forgiveness.
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.
7.) I really can’t take these liberal hypocrites saying that he should resign. These are the same people who said that Bill Clinton should not resign. Clinton, like Sanford, had more than a garden variety affair. Both men went further, with Sanford’s disappearence and Clinton with his months of obstructing justice and lying to the public about “that woman, Ms. Lewinsky”. Clinton should have been forced from office for his reckless conduct that went far beyond the affair itself. Ditto for Sanford.
8.) Yesterday was the bloodiest day yet in Iran, and the American media was more intested in the Sanford affair. That is a shame.
9.) Leave it to Sen. John Kerry to tell another botched joke. The man is a world class A-Hole.