June 30, 2009 by Shane Kastler.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who has been having an affair with an Argentinean woman, was “found out” on June 18. After lying to his staff and family, he left his four sons and jetted off to see his mistress on Father’s Day weekend, leading reporters to wonder about his whereabouts. After saying he needed some time alone to write, he was said to be on “the Appalachian trail” – then after being discovered by a reporter in an Atlanta airport, having just got off of a plane from Argentina, Sanford claimed he needed a bigger adventure so he left the country.

Lie after lie finally caught up with him until he embarrassingly admitted in a press conference that he had been having an affair for some time; that his wife knew about it; and that he was trying to figure things out. In the twenty minute press conference, Sanford didn’t seem to have enough sense to shut up. He rambled on about how God forgave him; and he rambled on about his mistress. Later, emails between the governor and his mistress surfaced in which Sanford blathered on like a junior high boy about how “in love” he was with her. Having met in 2001 when Sanford began counseling her about staying with her husband (yeah right); they eventually became attracted to each other…then magically fell in bed….several times. Until they finally got caught and had to pay the piper. Here are some thoughts I have on this bizarre incident….

First, Sanford should resign….IMMEDIATLY. He has no business serving the people of South Carolina. His mental state is that of a lovesick adolescent. His family is in shambles. And no one trusts him. The only thing keeping him in office right now is an ego that won’t let him back out of the spotlight. Though he whined and cried during his press conference, he seemed to relish the attention. This is typical of politicians who never met a camera they didn’t like.

Sanford is just another in a long line of phonies who will say whatever they have to say in public to get elected…even while they’re doing the exact opposite behind closed doors. These cretins know that to get elected they have to belong to a certain religion (in South Carolina its Christianity), they have to have a certain kind of wife, a certain amount of kids, a certain kind of education, a certain type of hair style, etc., etc…..you get the point. Like cleverly crafted robots they do and become whatever they must to gain power. Sometimes they’re wife is in on the plan (Sanford’s wife was his campaign manager)….sometimes they’re not. Case in point…has anyone ever thought that Bill and Hillary Clinton’s marriage was anything other than a political partnership? It seems perhaps the Sanfords are the Republican version of the Clintons. They seem to have both wanted power….but Mark was too juvenile to hold on to it.

If Sanford were any part of a man he would break this affair off, resign, and try to somehow salvage his marriage. He would move somewhere away from the limelight, find a job flipping hamburgers, get an apartment, and attempt to save his family. He won’t do that…but he should. He sort of claims the affair was not really his fault because he “had to listen to his heart.” This is pure poppycock of the lowest order. Sanford blathers on like a smitten teenager who can’t control his emotions. A man his age ought to know better. Let’s be honest, his “heart” was not the part of his anatomy that was controlling his decision making. Even after getting caught he described his mistress as a “dear, dear friend.” He has said that “at the end of the day” his fling is not a tawdry affair but rather a “love story.”  He calls his mistress his “soul mate” whom he tragically can’t have.  This lovesick fool is so detached from reality that I’m not sure he knows what planet he lives on, much less what state he’s governor of.  I’ve never heard anyone in my life over the age of 17 carry on the way he is.  His wife has said he tried to get the two of them to meet, but she refused. What kind of a moron is he? Did he actually think his wife was going to become friends with her? Did he think once his wife met her she would understand why he wanted to have sex with her so bad? I’m floored at what a complete imbecile Sanford appears to be. If that’s what “listening to his heart” led him to do, then he obviously needs a heart transplant…and maybe a brain transplant too. What a complete idiot! But I digress…

Another bothersome comment Sanford made in his ridiculous press conference was that “I’ve been a person of faith all of my life.” I think this statement gets right to the crux of the problem. There are two things wrong with that sentence.

First of all, he uses the generic spiritual phrase “person of faith.” I for one, despise this phrase which is frequently used by pantywaist “Christians” who don’t want to offend those of other “faiths.” Sanford claims, at least officially to be a Christian. Well guess what….Jesus didn’t call us to be “people of faith” he called us to be committed followers of Jesus Christ. Anytime I hear someone use the “person of faith” line, I’m immediately suspicious. Why are they too embarrassed to claim a particular faith? Why are they ducking the name “Christ?” I fear that Sanford spoke the truth. That he is a “person of faith” (which can mean anything), as opposed to being a genuine born again believer and follower of Christ. “People of faith” have affairs then immediately and unrepentantly declare themselves forgiven by God (or the Deity or whatever they call him [or her]). Christians are truly heartbroken over their sin. They repent. They try to make amends with people they’ve hurt. And they accept the consequences of their actions. They resign as Governor. They focus on Christ. They fix their mess. Unfortunately, Sanford is a “person of faith” so God only knows what he will do. He’s compared himself to King David, like all pious adulterers like to do. But David repented. David was broken hearted over what he had done. David was in anguish over sinning against God, not simply getting caught. Mark Sanford, don’t kid yourself….you’re no David.

Secondly, Sanford said he had been a person of faith “all of my life.” Again, this indicates that they’re has never been a time in his life in which he truly felt the conviction of God to the extent that he turned from his sin nature and submitted his life to Christ as Lord. As a good Southern boy, he was probably brought up in Sunday School, got baptized and has been a lifelong member of the church. He’s been a part of the “religious establishment” from day one, but that doesn’t make him a Christian.

Sometimes politicians realize that a Christian conversion experience will help them politically, especially in places like South Carolina, or Arkansas, so they’ll give a “testimony” of one…..and 99 times out of 100 it will magically involve Billy Graham. If all the politicians were really saved at Billy Graham crusades, who claim to be, Washington would look like a Seminary, rather than a brothel. Make no mistake, “you will know them by their fruits” and many of the loud mouthed, pious politicians in America bear rotten, smelly, embarrassing fruit.

Sanford’s situation is obviously disappointing. As was New York Governor Elliot Spitzer’s. As was Bill Clinton’s. As was Newt Gingrich’s. As was Rudolph Giuliani’s. As was……you get the point. Sadly, I think it’s pretty obvious that there are vast amounts of moral depravity on both sides of the political aisle. I am a conservative, Independent because I believe both parties are hypocritical and corrupt. The only difference is that some are liberal hypocrites while others are conservative hypocrites. The bottom line is power and money, and both sides will do whatever they have to do, and say whatever they have to say to gain as much money and power as they can….until they get caught. Like it or not that’s my opinion. Being a conservative I typically vote for Republicans as the lesser of two evils. But many Republicans are just as slimly as Democrats, albeit with a different public face. There are exceptions to the rule and I have a handful of politicians that I think MIGHT be legit. But I’m not holding my breath. I see Barack Obama and the Democrats absolutely destroying and bankrupting our country, while the Republican leadership is flying to South America for sex. Sadly, that pretty much sums up America today.

In closing, I know some will criticize me for “kicking Sanford when he’s down” or say “who are you to judge” or whatever. I don’t judge Sanford. His actions have judged him. I simply point out what a decent man would do in his situation. And I point out his hypocrisy as a warning to everyone else, including myself. Every time I see one of these embarrassing press conferences, I remind myself that any man is capable of a moral failure. And I would encourage all people to put yourself in Sanford’s place and imagine what he’s going through….before you decide to have an affair. Sanford found himself caught up in a world of lies, then he found himself in a roomful of disappointed people looking to him for answers. His wife and he are separated. Undoubtedly his kids feel like they’re life is ruined. Though Sanford may be too dumb to see it…his career is over. His family is all but gone. His life will never be the same again. Was the fling worth it? If he and his mistress end up together, he’ll claim it was worth it….but he’s kidding himself….and he’ll never be truly happy. Unless he truly repents, he’ll always just be a shell of a man, who once governed a state while he himself was being governed by his hormones and his emotions.

Mark Sanford has done enough damage for one lifetime. He needs to resign and move off of the public screen, and ride off into the sunset as yet another example of a phony politician who doesn’t have the self-control, nor the maturity to handle the power he so desperately sought. His time in the spotlight needs to end. He needs to get on with his life. He needs to try and fix his life. And he needs to be out of our lives for good. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth….take it or leave it.

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June 3, 2009 by Shane Kastler.

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