It Was Only a Matter of Time: Governor Sanford and His Wife Are Separating

Governor Mark Sanford and his wife Jenny are separating. Jenny Sanford is moving to the couple's beach home in Sullivan Island, near Charleston.

The couple's separation was inevitable. Mark Sanford created quite a stir last month after he mysteriously left the state without disclosing his location to his staff, including his security detail. During the time of his absence, early reports placed him on a hiking trip, but these stories were false. Instead, the governor was in Argentina visiting a romantic interest.

After he returned to the United States, Mark Sanford made numerous statements asking the citizens of South Carolina to forgive him and expressing a desire to save his marriage. But he also described his lover as his "soulmate," which certainly had to complicate any possibility of reconciliation.

Here is another wrinkle in the couple's ability to save their marriage: Judging from her public statements, Jenny Sanford seems immensely intelligent, classy, patient and sincere. She deserves more than her husband's foolish antics. Apparently, she now realizes this and has taken the first step towards extricating herself from him.

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Caused Sanford's Affair With His "Concubine"

I usually do not keep up with or make hay out of the Rush Limbaugh's numerous ludicrous antics. I even defended Limbaugh earlier this year when, instead of focusing on the economy, Democrats and the media began a campaign to make him the symbolic face of the Republican Party.

Limbaugh's latest madness, however, proves that his show exists somewhere in a dark corner of the Twilight Zone. Commenting on South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's recent disappearance and sordid affair, Limbaugh said that upon hearing the news, he immediately thought that Sanford's behavior resulted from his frustration over the stimulus package and other policies of the Obama administration. Limbaugh said that Sanford's excursion to visit his "concubine" proves that he had decided to "enjoy life" because the "Democrats are destroying the country." Kudos to Media Matters for uncovering the story.

Question: Because Sanford's affair apparently began nearly a year ago, does this mean that it is really President Bush's fault?

For Socially Conservative Gov. Sanford, Marriage Consists of a Man, a Woman, and a Woman on the Side

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is a traditional, socially conservative, family-values kind of guy. He opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions for gays and lesbians. He also voted to ban adoptions in the District of Columbia by gays and lesbians and any other individuals who are unrelated by blood or marriage. Sanford's own life, however, has been a lot more nuanced.

Although Sanford rejects the legitimacy of same-sex marriage and gay adoption, I suspect he will not voluntarily hand over his own marriage license despite jetting to Argentina in order to engage in a notorious international affair and after hiding from his wife and four children for nearly a week.

Yet again, "Family Values" = "Do as I say, not as I do."

See also:

Major Update in Missing Governor Case: Sanford Says He Was in Argentina -- Not Hiking on Appalachian Trail

New Twist in South Carolina Governor Drama: Sources Claim Feds Found Sanford Boarding a Plane in Atlanta -- Not Hiking in the Appalachian Trail

Did South Carolina Governor Disappear for Nude Hiking Trip?

Major Update in Missing Governor Case: Sanford Says He Was in Argentina -- Not Hiking on Appalachian Trail

Yet another update (see below).

This case just gets more and more bizarre by the day. Earlier this week, staffers for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who has been missing in action since late last week, insisted that he was happily hiking in the Appalachian Trail. Today, however, Sanford has returned to the Palmetto State, and he has a very different story. Sanford says that he was not hiking since last Thursday, but that he was enjoying a week-long hiatus in Argentina -- alone. High drama -- and deceit, the usual combination. Stay tuned.

Yet Another Major Update: Yup -- It was an affair.

See also:

New Twist in South Carolina Governor Drama: Sources Claim Feds Found Sanford Boarding a Plane in Atlanta -- Not Hiking in the Appalachian Trail

Did South Carolina Governor Disappear for Nude Hiking Trip?

New Twist in South Carolina Governor Drama: Sources Claim Feds Found Sanford Boarding a Plane in Atlanta -- Not Hiking in the Appalachian Trail

A previous Dissenting Justice blog entry covered the bizarre story of South Carolina's missing governor Mark Sanford. Until yesterday, Sanford was last detected last Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia. Since that time, he apparently lost all contact with his family (including his wife and children), security detail, and staff.

Late yesterday, however, Sanford's staff said that he was hiking in the Appalachian Trail. But sources for WYFF, an NBC affiliate in Greenville, tell a completely different story. WYFF's sources say that a federal agent located Sanford boarding a plane in Atlanta, not hiking in the Appalachian Trail:

On Tuesday, sources told News 4's Nigel Robertson that a state vehicle is missing and was tracked down, not to the Appalachian Trail, but to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.

Sources told Robertson that a federal agent spotted Sanford in the airport boarding a plane. Robertson was told that the governor was not accompanied by security detail.

Once the facts of this bizarre story are confirmed, I suspect that they will either reveal a strange but innocent series of events or they will show that Sanford vanished in order to engage in improper behavior (or perhaps that he was suffering from some mental distress). Until then, stay tuned.

See also:

Major Update in Missing Governor Case: Sanford Says He Was in Argentina -- Not Hiking on Appalachian Trail

Did South Carolina Governor Disappear for Nude Hiking Trip?

Did South Carolina Governor Disappear for Nude Hiking Trip?

The blog world (primarily) has been buzzing over the bizarre "disappearance" of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. According to numerous reports, Sanford separated himself from his security detail and family and was last detected in Atlanta on Thursday, June 18. Late yesterday, however, Sanford's office indicated that during his absence, Stanford has been hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but that he would soon return to his duties as governor.

Prior to yesterday's announcement, the news concerning Sanford was sketchy, ominous and undeniably strange. An article in The State, a South Carolina newspaper, contains a summary of the details:

Sanford’s last known location was near Atlanta late last week. A mobile telephone tower there picked up a signal from his phone, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Since then, the governor’s state and personal phones had been turned off, and Sanford had not responded to phone or text messages, a source said. Most mobile phones cannot be tracked if they are turned off.

First lady Jenny Sanford said Monday her husband has been gone for several days over Father’s Day weekend and she did not know where.

She said she was not concerned.

“He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids,” Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press while vacationing with the couple’s four sons at their Sullivan’s Island beach house.

Now that Sanford's office has confirmed that he is hiking in the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, numerous reports are emerging which indicate that a portion of Sanford's hiking trip coincided with "Naked Hiking Day," an annual event that celebrates the Summer Solstice. It is unclear whether Sanford ran full monty through the woods, but media outlets are salivating over the possibility.

The Huffington Post has identified another potentially strange twist to Sanford's disappearance. Earlier this year, Sanford became famous (or infamous) for denouncing and refusing to accept stimulus funds allocated for South Carolina. The state legislature, however, ultimately overruled his decision. Apparently, the Appalachian Trial (along with facilities at many other national parks) will benefit from improvements made with (you guessed it) stimulus money.

See also:

Major Update in Missing Governor Case: Sanford Says He Was in Argentina -- Not Hiking on Appalachian Trail

New Twist in South Carolina Governor Drama: Sources Claim Feds Found Sanford Boarding a Plane in Atlanta -- Not Hiking in the Appalachian Trail

PS: To "regular" readers -- I normally do not write stories of this nature, but the bizarre circumstances surrounding Sanford's disappearance made his case an exceptional one.