his lawyers noted that only 16 governors in the history of the United States have been impeached, and just eight were forced from office. And no modern governor has been impeached without having first been charged with felonies.

So, misconduct would have to rise to the level of a felony for impeachment proceedings. How about Joe citizen who would have been fired for even less. Will the Governor reimburse the state for the AWOL time, airfare etc.? What it amounts to is that it would be inconvenient to impeach him. A precedent has been set and the ethical line has been moved.

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South Carolina is a wonderful state, and as far as his performance of the duties of the office is concerned, Governor Sanford has been a superb governor.  I have been sooo disappointed by this moral lapse of his.

I agree with you Evan. I was hoping that Sanford, with his unmatched respect for personal freedoms and free markets, would run for president. What a pity.

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#5
I suppose it would have helped if your Guardsman hadn’t argued. 
I can only say that as far as I know, the governor hasn’t been charged with any crime, whereas, I assume from your comment that the Guardsman was arrested, presumably not for inadvertantly choosing the wrong gate, but for getting belligerant when confronted about it.
I have no problem with this.

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Indeed I do have trouble with the governor’s moral lapse, as I said earlier.  That conduct was reprehensible.  However, I believe he has been charged with no crime. 
And I have never argued with a cashier or gate attendant.  In cases where there has been disagreement or misunderstanding, I find that politeness and a smile usually work wonders, whereas “grievous words stir up anger.”

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Even if Mark Sanford manages to stay in office and finish out his term, his political career is probably over.  Too bad, as he was off to a promising start.

But the real star in this whole mess, the silver lining amid the gloomy clouds, is his wife Jenny, who has demonstrated enormous poise, marvelous character, and firm, healthy boundaries during this sad fiasco.  As far as I’m concerned, she is the model of how a political wife ought to handle such an infidelity scandal.  And she has done so in an openly Christian way.  I hope that the disgraced governor has sense enough to try to salvage his marriage to such a gem of a woman after throwing away his career.

David Handy+

#9
If the gate incident was no more than you say, it seems someone badly over reacted and I certainly feel sorry for the Guardsman.  I wouldn’t, however, conclude as you do that SC’s police and legal system are “predatory on the young and powerless.”

And as usual, I heartily concur with your comment, Fr. Handy.

This thread seems to be becoming negative and heated. Please tone it down.   -Elf Lady

Catch me Carolinians if I am wrong, but it seems to this outside observer that the only major factor saving Sanford is that no one, and I mean no one, seems to like Bauer.  The comments I have heard, just from Palmetto State Republicans, makes me marvel that he was ever elected in the first place.