Well, this one is just bizarre:
The whereabouts of Gov. Mark Sanford was unknown for nearly four days, and some state leaders question who was in charge of the executive office.
But Sanford’s office told the lieutenant governor’s office Monday afternoon that Sanford has been reached and he is fine, said Frank Adams, head of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer’s office on aging.
Neither the governor’s office nor the State Law Enforcement Division, which provides security for governors, had been able to reach Sanford after he left the mansion Thursday in a black SLED Suburban SUV, said Sen. Jake Knotts and three others familiar with the situation but declined to be identified.
* * * * *
First lady Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press earlier Monday her husband has been gone for several days and she did not know where.
She said she was not concerned.
Happily, before we could start getting a recent photo of the South Carolina Governor for the milk cartons, the mystery appears to be unraveling:
The governor’s office issued a statement Monday afternoon: "Gov. Sanford is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session, and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside. We are not going to discuss the specifics of his travel arrangements or his security arrangements."
So, the next time you hear a right-winger going nuts (or one of their traditional media enablers) because the president is taking his kids out for custard rather than...well...doing whatever the hell it is they THINK he should be doing, you might want to remind them of this one.
So, to recap, here is the "responsible" Republican way to deal with job stress:
- Take your taxpayer-funded car, and head out.
- Don't tell your consituents where you're headed.
- Don't even apparently tell your wife where you are headed (on Father's Day weekend, no less!).
- And, when people start to wonder where their governor slipped away to, and when they start to wonder, legitimately, who is in charge, tell them that you need to "recharge."
Something tells me that the statement issued by Governor Sanford's office is not going to be the final word on this little episode.
(H/T: Taegan Goddard)
UPDATE: Nice combination of concern and knife twisting from the South Carolina Democratic Party--
South Carolina Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land, III (D-Manning) issued the following statement today on the news that Governor Mark Sanford has gone missing:
"We’ve been concerned by the Governor’s erratic behavior for some time. We’re praying for him and his family. I hope he is safe and that he contacts the First Lady and his family soon, said Land.