S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford admitted today that his secret trip to Argentina over the Father's Day weekend was to visit a woman he has been having an affair with for the past year.
In an emotional news conference, Sanford said his relationship with the woman in Argentina would not work, but would not say if it was over. He did not name the woman, but said he met her eight years ago, although their casual friendship evolved into a romantic relationship about a year ago.
"The bottom line is this: I have been unfaithful to my wife," the two-term governor said before a mass of press in the State House outside the governor's office. "Let me apologize to my wife Jenny and my four boys ... for letting them down."
Asked directly if he and first lady Jenny Sanford are separated, Sanford said: "I don't know how you want to define that. I'm here and she's there. I guess in a formal sense we are not."
Sanford acknowledged he misled his staff earlier this week when he lead them to believe he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Sanford said he would resign as chairman of the Republican Governor's Association -- a platform he has used over the past few months to broadcast his opposition to President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package and fueling speculation that Sanford was considering a 2012 run for president.
But Sanford did not respond when asked if he would resign as governor.
Sanford fought back tears several times during a 20 minute news conference, especially when he mentioned his marriage counselor and his long time personal and political friend Tom Davis, Sanford's former chief of staff.
Sanford's relationship with the woman in Argentina became more sexually charged about a year ago, but Sanford's wife did not learn of the affair until about five month sago. The Sanfords have since been in counseling.
In his apology, Sanford acknowledged not only all South Carolinians, but people of faith, people in his own party as well as his family. He denied he had ever had other extramarital affairs.
"I've spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina," Sanford said. "I am committed to trying to get my heart right."
#5
More and more of this seems to be 'popping' up. I suspect the Grand Kennedy Karma(GKK) is engulfing the larger political community as its core member, who with great human effort for decades of gravitationally keeping it in place - his place, is now seriously losing steam in tying down the beast. Pass the popcorn.
#9
This must be somekinda beauty (picture please)for sanford to throw away a political career, a family, and the american people. This will give Obama cover for the cap and trade, medicare, and all the other programs that are being rammed down her/our throuts. Sanford you are a sorry SOB.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/24/2009 18:14 Comments ||
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#12
Idiot.
It's just amazing how many politicians of substantial stature -- governor, senator, big-city mayor, president -- can't keep their pants on.
His career is over. He should resign. That will give him the opportunity to focus on his marriage, assuming his wife still wants him. He can pick up a private sector job somewhere. But get out of the way and let someone else do the job.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/24/2009 18:57 Comments ||
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#13
Honey trap?
No, I don't think so...at least not to the degree you're thinking. While I don't think the DNC and its MSM sockpuppets engaged the Argentinean cutie to assist in driving Sanford's political future onto the rocks (he's obviously done a superlative job of that himself), I have no doubt whatsoever that whenever any prominent Republican politician gains public visibility and starts becoming the subject of 2012 speculation, he or she immediately becomes the subject of a dedicated "war room" squad of Dem operatives and MSM journoturds looking for anything that can be used to destroy their political viability. If they can't do it via scandal as with Sanford, they'll try to do it with nonstop ridicule, as with Sarah Palin.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
06/24/2009 21:01 Comments ||
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#14
He is an idiot. Typical "elite" part of the Demopublican Party that has completely lost touch with reality.
(Reuters) - Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery, the Wall Street Journal said.
In March, Fannie Mae (FNM.N)(FNM.P) said it would no longer guarantee mortgages on condos in buildings where fewer than 70 percent of the units have been sold, up from 51 percent, the paper said. Freddie Mac is due to implement similar policies next month, the paper said.
In a letter to the CEO's of both companies, Representatives Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Anthony Weiner warned that a 70 percent sales threshold "may be too onerous" and could lead condo buyers to shun new developments, according to the paper.
The legislators asked the companies to "make appropriate adjustments" to their underwriting standards for condos, the paper added.
In an interview with the paper, Weiner said the rules have "had a real chill on the ability to get these condos sold," at a time when prices of condos have fallen enough to attract potential buyers.
In addition to the 70 percent sales threshold, Fannie Mae will also not purchase mortgages in buildings where 15 percent of owners are delinquent on condo association dues or where one owner has more than 10 percent of units, as the firm sees these as signals that a building could run into financial trouble, the paper added.
Both Fannie and Freddie are preparing a response to the lawmakers, according to the paper.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.
#1
Where's tha help for First-Time home buyers? I do qualify for the 8 grand tax credit but not the 5 grand "Grant". I actually work, pay taxes, and have a good credit score so I don't qualify to have the tax credit put toward the down-payment. Same reason for not getting the "Grant". Try getting someone to finance a condominium.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
06/24/2009 14:53 Comments ||
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#2
Plain idiocy. Lower requirements on both borrowers and developers is what created the housing bubble in the first place.
Not everyone can buy a home. Live with it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/24/2009 15:27 Comments ||
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#3
"'Cause, yannow, it worked so well the first time."
Wonderful. How about a townhouse development with fewer than ten units? Like, oh, say, the one I just made a mortgage application on?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
06/24/2009 16:34 Comments ||
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#6
So Bawney is trolling for votes from the low income again. Does this guy never learn? He never took credit for his part in the U.S. financial debacle the first time. Please Massachusetts do the country a favor and don't re-elect him again. Is there some kind of Iran vote-counting thing going on in Massachusetts that he keeps getting re-elected?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(Reuters) - Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery, the Wall Street Journal said.
