Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

Issac Bailey | Sanford talks jobs to save his

Gov. Mark Sanford has been reduced to essentially arguing, "It depends on what the definition of is, is."

Weeks ago Sanford came to Conway during his apology tour, stood before a gaggle of reporters and proudly waived the confidentiality clause in the S.C. Ethics Commission investigation of his use of public money. He reassured us he still believed in transparency.

He also made that intent clear in an Aug. 28 letter to the commission.

But his lawyer stood before the S.C. Supreme Court Monday to keep the commission's findings out of the hands of House members, who need the information to decide on the possibility of impeachment.

This is how The Associated Press recounted the exchange:

Sanford's lawyer said the governor didn't surrender "all confidentiality" in the letter.

"In fact the letter doesn't limit anything does it? It does not limit the waiver in any respect," Associate Justice Don Beatty asked attorney Kevin Hall.

"The letter does not," Hall said.

"So what was the purpose of the governor writing the letter then? Was it grandstanding? Was it for show? Or did it mean something?" Beatty asked.

It means Sanford is partaking in mental gymnastics similar to those used by President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky probe.

Sanford, like Clinton, believes he has to convince us to ignore the obvious in order to keep his job.

He abandoned the state, his responsibilities as governor and took respect for the governor's office to a new low. He spent a career declaring he was a maverick who goes his own way, even if the road is lonely. Now he's trying to save his career by declaring that if he is guilty, previous governors are, too.

His arguments have devolved from a high-minded philosophical defense of federalism to what my 5-year-old says when she's trying to avoid punishment.

Every other Sanford facade had already been striped away. He lost his white hat of superior morals and principles somewhere along the Appalachian Trail.

But he's trying to replace it with a hard hat by becoming his own "jobs czar," leaving no stone unturned in a quest to lower South Carolina's fifth-highest unemployment rate.

It's a curious transition, given that Sanford skipped the all-important annual tourism conference - the state's economic engine - and a meeting with a business planning to expand to take a secret trip to Argentina.

Now he's trying to save his job by seeming serious about trying to create one for you.

Had he done that earlier this year instead of blocking money that saved thousands of teaching jobs, he'd be more believable.