The whereabouts of Gov. Mark Sanford was unknown for nearly four days, and some state leaders question who was in charge of the executive office.
But Sanford’s office told the lieutenant governor’s office Monday afternoon that Sanford has been reached and he is fine, said Frank Adams, head of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer’s office on aging.
Neither the governor’s office nor the State Law Enforcement Division, which provides security for governors, had been able to reach Sanford after he left the mansion Thursday in a black SLED Suburban SUV, said Sen. Jake Knotts and three others familiar with the situation but declined to be identified.
Bizarre. An explanation is called for.
Very weird. How are Aimee Semple McPherson and Agatha Christie doing?
Apparently he does this occasionally. So much for his 2012 prospects.
Hey, lighten up guys. Isn’t he the Savior of the Republican Party? He was on retreat doing advance work for the 2012 campaign.
If only they ALL would disappear and remain that way.
What a kook Knotts is . . . no story here except a guy who told the important people in his life that he was getting away for a while.
But it’s understandable — people like Knotts see Sanford as a threat.
RE: “So much for his 2012 prospects.”
Lol. Nope — nobody will remember or care about a frenzied “story” created by Knotts. But I agree — I’ve never seen him as President, though he’d be fantastic, of course.
RE: “Isn’t he the Savior of the Republican Party?”
Naw, Sanford’s a conservative of principle and integrity. No chance that he’ll save the Republican Party.
Re #6
Sarah,
I must respectfully disagree. The gentleman in question is not a private citizen or some low level bureaucrat who can sneak out of town for a long weekend and leave the phone off the hook. He is the governor a state.
That may not be quite on the same level as President of the United States, but the principal is the same. He is the chief executive of the government of South Carolina. That’s a 24/7/365 job. Can he take some down time? Sure. But like Obama and Bush before, his staff needs to know where he is at all times and how to get hold of him any at any hour of the day or night. I am also not wild about the governor of a major state wandering around without even minimal official security.
Fortunately nothing serious occurred in his absence but still some sort of explanation is called for. And if I were his chief of staff I would read him the riot act (privately of course).
RE: “The gentleman in question is not a private citizen or some low level bureaucrat who can sneak out of town for a long weekend and leave the phone off the hook. He is the governor a state.”
Right — but he didn’t “sneak out of town” . . . the important people knew what was going on. And Knotts wasn’t one of those.
Sanford is a breath of fresh air. Not, of course, for liberals, that’s a given. And not for the non-conservative, country club Republicans. They can’t stand him.
But boy is he loved by so so many of us.
Re #9
Sarah,
I am not sure what your source is for…
[blockquote] the important people knew what was going on[/blockquote]
There are multiple news services reporting this story. And I haven’t found any yet where anyone is saying his whereabouts were known. I’m not saying this is a major scandal. But it does sound a bit boneheaded. And his staff needs to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
I can’t help but wonder if this is a story in which the press has a lot more news it can’t confirm yet, and gives the disappearance big-splash treatment as it awaits a second shoe dropping that only it can see. Only time will tell.
I thank God every day that I’m not a politician. My God! Everyone is liable for a burnout, and Mark Sanford isn’t the first….nor will he be the last….to say “Look, I need a break! How about cutting me some slack, huh?” Sure he should’ve kept his staff in the loop, and sure he should’ve let his wife know of his whereabouts, but the man’s only human…..just like the rest of us! A career in politics is enough to do one of two things: A. Make one rich, or B. Wear one to a frazzle. The latter happened to my grandfather, and he returned to being a simple farmer……couldn’t stand the lies and crooked deals any longer.
It’s 8:45…do you know where your governor is?
RE: “I can’t help but wonder if this is a story in which the press has a lot more news it can’t confirm yet . . . ”
Well, listen if he was off robbing a bank or having an affair, believe me, I’ll be the first to be appalled.
the SC legislature (Dem. and Rep.) has a lot more to answer for than does Gov. Sanford. That they are carrying on about this incident gives you some insight into their warped minds….
Ever notice that Tiger Woods and Gov. Sanford are never in the same room together?
Ad Orientem:
[url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/24046.html]Politico’s report[/url]:
[blockquote]Sanford has not been in touch with his office since Thursday and left Columbia without his state police detail.
His communications director, Joel Sawyer, wouldn’t disclose Sanford’s location but said that before the governor left town last week [b]“he let staff know his whereabouts and that he’d be difficult to reach.â€[/b][/blockquote]
RE: “the SC legislature (Dem. and Rep.) has a lot more to answer for than does Gov. Sanford. That they are carrying on about this incident gives you some insight into their warped minds….”
Yup — but they’re pretty . . . er . . . po’d at the governor. He’s made them look incredibly bad and they’re desperate for a distraction, something!
And just think — voters like me will remember who had principle and integrity and who were just simple Republicans.
I can’t wait for election time here.
RE: “I can’t help but wonder if this is a story in which the press has a lot more news it can’t confirm yet . . . “
We should be glad the press is trying to confirm something. I hope this trend spreads to the national press!
I am willing to bet that the Gov could produce a birth certificate
if asked.
Governor Sanford has endured years of battling the old boy network of the SC legislature. Mark Sanford has been stalwart in defense of his conservative principles and has tolerated the small-minded and/or power hungry likes of Jake Knotts, Andre Bauer and others. You would have to be in SC and have followed the mean-spiritied and buffoonish behavior directed at every effort of Sanford’s to modernize this almost last-on-every-list state. He deserves our prayers during this time of reflection that I am sure he undertook with all proper preparations and precautions. Politics in SC, as well as nationally, is a dirty word and almost unendurable for people of good intention. May God bless Governor Sanford.
Personally, I wouldn’t blame the guy if he took off on a Canadian fishing trip at some remote lake with one of his buddies.
In the Air Force, we called it “R and R: Rest and Recreation.” “Unwinding,” in other words.
“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. ” – Greenville News
http://www.wyff4.com/news/19837234/detail.html