Barely three weeks after returning from his AWOL excursion in Argentina, Mark Sanford is once again taking a break from his responsibilities as governor to take a "personal" trip, this time with his wife.
Sanford is taking off the rest of the week for a trip out of state with first lady Jenny Sanford, spokesman Joel Sawyer said.
"This trip is personal in nature, and we're not going to offer any further comment," said Sawyer, who said the couple will be gone through this coming weekend. "The governor remains committed to repairing the damage he's done to his marriage, and so it shouldn't be any surprise that spending personal time with his wife is a part of that process."
...
Sawyer said state meetings Sanford had scheduled this week have been postponed until next week.
Let's recap the situation:
- Mark Sanford goes AWOL, lying to the state and his staff with respect to his whereabouts, leaving no plan in place in case of emergency.
- Although he planned a 10-day trip, concern about his whereabouts forces Sanford to return after 5 days, only admitting his true whereabouts after The State reporter Gina Smith confronted him in the Atlanta airport. During the trip, Sanford skipped important state business, including meetings that could have brought jobs to South Carolina
- Despite his failure to meet his public responsibilities, Lindsey Graham (!) says Sanford can keep his job if he reconciles with his wife.
- And now, as part of that reconciliation, Sanford once again abdicates his official responsibilities to focus on his personal life.
It's important to be clear on this: what the Sanfords do to save (or dissolve) their relationship is their own business. Just like nobody should tell a gay or lesbian couple whether or not it's legal for them to get married, nobody should tell Mark Sanford and Jenny Sanford whether or not to remain married.
Time after time, however, Mark Sanford has abdicated his public responsibilities in order to address his personal, private needs. This is clearly a man who cannot execute the duties of his office.
In fact, even though Mark Sanford has maintained the title of Governor and the trappings of office, it is clear that he has for all intents and purposes given up all interest in his job.
The fact that he remains in office is a testament to his overwhelming pride and arrogance. He is concerned with but one thing: feeding his own ego.