Mark Sanford (UPDATED)

like the ayatollah in iran, mark sanford as lost all legitimacy in his ability to govern. iran is going through the throes of revolution and attempting to decide what gives government its legitimacy. here in the united states, we believe that government is of, by, and for the people and that a government gets its legitimacy through the consent of governed. in my opinion, mark sanford has lost the trust of the people of south carloina and should resign.

to be clear, this is not about his adultery, but that does play a part. this is about leaving his state for 5 days (it has been rumored that he had planned a 10 day vacation) and not telling anyone where he was going or not informing his second in command, the lt. governor. that behavior from the governor of a state is 100% inexcusable and should be grounds for dismissal on its face. even david patterson, as inept as he is, knew better than to leave the state while the NY state senate is playing its little game. you want to go away for a few days, fine. BUT YOU HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE! even if he was hiking the AT you still have to tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back. just ask aron ralston. its a cardinal rule of hiking. let someone know where you are going and when you plan on returning so, if god forbid you aren't where you are supposed to be when you said you would be there, people can start looking for you.

the other side to this story is sanford's remarkable hypocrisy regarding "values" and the "sanctity of marriage". haven't we had enough of this BS? and when will the MSM ask sanford (and vitter and ensign and craig and fosella and newt and rudi and ...) what gives them the right to grandstand to protect the "sanctity of marriage" by not allowing gays to marry, yet their own actions do more to violate the "sanctity of marriage" than allowing gays to marry ever could. has any MSM reported asked this question to any of these jokers? what would they say? what could they say? how can they justify it? how can they find a leg to stand on?

this is the nature of government in the united states. the government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed. if you lose the trust of the people, you can not effectively govern. if you betray the trust your state has placed in you, you can not effectively govern. and, most especially, if you are proven to be a hypocrite of the highest order, you can not effectively govern. mark stanford should step down, not for having an affair, but for betraying the trust of the people of south carolina and losing sight of what grants government its legitimate power in the united states: the consent of the governed.

UPDATE: i think the previous paragraphs can now be replaced with a simple "fuck you". im glad that sanford went to the bible for his justification. im sure i can find a verse in there that says shitheads like him should be forced to watch "the real housewives of new jersey" without reprieve as punishment for being a first-rate asshole.