Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Missed the News?
We've got you covered with this recap of the week's headlines
The bizarre tale of S.C. governor Mark Sanford’s week-long disappearance seems to get wackier by the moment. In one corner you’ve got the governor and his staff saying, “hey, what’s the big deal?” So what if the Gov took off, without telling anyone – even his wife – where he was going and supposedly went hiking on the Appalachian Trail to recharge his batteries after a tough legislative season?
Then Sanford arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Wednesday morning and revealed that he hadn’t been on the Appalachian Trail at all, rather he’d taken a 7-day trip to Argentina. Later Wednesday, he admitted to having an affair with an Argentine woman. Many of his fellow GOP-mates are less than enthused about his disappearing act, such as this official statement by South Carolina State Senator Jake Knotts (R-Lexington): “While I believe every person deserves a vacation, our constitution gives only one man authority to act in case of an emergency – the Governor of South Carolina. Should the Governor decide to vacation away from South Carolina again, it is my sincere hope that he will take his security detail and keep his cell phone on so that he can be reached in case of a large-scale emergency. If he is not willing to do so, he should turn his gubernatorial authority over to the Lt. Governor.” Democrats, pouncing on the opportunity, were a bit harsher, such as these barbs issued by House Minority Leader Representative Harry Ott: “It is unthinkable that the head of our state would disappear without regard for the people of South Carolina or the duties to which he swore to uphold. As the supreme officer of our state, the Governor’s actions are irresponsible and unacceptable.”