S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford has formally apologized to the people of South Carolina – or at least the ones on his (PG) email list – for his conduct in carrying on an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina.
The governor did not specifically reference the affair in his email, but apologized for his conduct and outlined his rationale for staying on the job in spite of growing calls for his resignation.
Curiously enough, Sanford refers to the notion of resigning – which he says he considered – as “getting off … lightly,” while he portrays staying in office as some sort of personal growth exercise.
Here, in its entirety, is Sanford’s email to the people of South Carolina …
Dear Friends,
I write to apologize and ask for your forgiveness.
Well beyond the personal consequences within my own family, I know that at so many different levels my actions have upset, offended and disappointed friends and supporters and for this I am most sorry. As I mentioned in last week’s press conference, I’ve always believed God’s laws were there to protect us from ourselves, and what has transpired over this last week vividly illustrates the damage that comes personally, and to those you love and respect, in doing otherwise.
So in the aftermath of this failure I want to not only apologize, but to commit to growing personally and spiritually. Immediately after all this unfolded last week I had thought I would resign – as I believe in the military model of leadership and when trust of any form is broken one lays down the sword. A long list of close friends have suggested otherwise – that for God to really work in my life I shouldn’t be getting off so lightly. While it would be personally easier to exit stage left, their point has been that my larger sin was the sin of pride. They contended that in many instances I may well have held the right position on limited government, spending or taxes – but that if my spirit wasn’t right in the presentation of those ideas to people in the General Assembly, or elsewhere, I could elicit the response that I had at many times indeed gotten from other state leaders.
Their belief was that if I walked in with a real spirit of humility then this last legislative term could well be our most productive one – and that outside this term, I would ultimately be a better person and of more service in whatever doors God opened next in life if I stuck around to learn lessons rather than running and hiding down at the farm.
They have also made the point that a good part of life is about scripts – that the idea of redemption isn’t something that Marshall, Landon, Bolton and Blake should just read about, it’s something they should see. Accordingly, they suggested that there was a very different life script that would be lived and learned by our boys, and thousands like them, if this story simply ended with scandal and then the end of office – versus a fall from grace and then renewal and rebuilding and growth in its aftermath.
I won’t belabor all these points, but I did want to write as expressed earlier to say that I’m sorry and that more than anything I personally ask for your prayers for me, Jenny, the boys and so many others who have been impacted by what I have done.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Take care.
(Signed)
Mark
Interesting …
Frankly, we remain convinced that remaining in office is not in Sanford’s best interests on either a personal or political level – as our founding editor outlined the day after the news of this scandal broke.
Anyway, here’s a screencap of the governor’s letter.
By ts June 29, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Sorry.
Asking us to forgive, forget, and move on for the sake of the boys witnessing the redemption of Mark Sanford, their father, is not going to cut it. Even with mushy libs.
By holly golightly June 29, 2009 at 7:33 pm
i didn’t get my email.
By madcock June 29, 2009 at 7:34 pm
“They have also made the point that a good part of life is about scripts -that the idea of redemption isn’t something that MARSHALL, LANDON, BOLTON and BLAKE should just read about, it’s something they should see. Accordingly, they suggested that there was a very different life script that would be lived and learned by our boys, and thousands like them, if this story simply ended with scandal and then the end of office – versus a fall from grace and then renewal and rebuilding and growth in its aftermath.”
Wow, hiding behind his sons to justify his desperate,unprincipled plot to cling to power.
Is their any behavior that is to immoral and disgusting for this guy to stoop to?
By CNSYD June 29, 2009 at 7:40 pm
“personal growth exercise”? Is this the purpose of being the Governor? Is this some sort of New Age mumbo jumbo?
By newzjunkie June 29, 2009 at 8:08 pm
B*LL SH1T!!! It’s not about Sanford or Bauer! Someone doesn’t want to give up that power in the Senate. Can’t say that I blame him. He has more power than I thought! Nice!!!!
This isn’t like Toal knowing the “gray” area of the law – this is Good ‘ole Boy politics at its best!!! Yawl are reallllly putting the GOP in an precarious place…
I just hope the GOP’s tactics don’t come and bite them. But then again, it doesn’t matter. They OWN this state!
Nicely played… Nicely played…
By yarrrrr June 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Someone needs to tell him he has to atone before he can redeem… he evades and shirks responsibility… he’s just grasping to stay on because losing this job would be emasculating… I don’t blame him for fighting it out but he must think we’re stupid if we think resigning is the easy way out… letting go of power is never the easy way out..
Maybe he doesn’t need to resign… maybe he doesn’t need to be impeached… but he needs to face real punishment… we’re setting very bad precedents if he just goes on his self serving plan of “redemption”… maybe resigning right now would set a bad example to his sons(and i feel for them)… but for every body elses children(and their parents) the message is it’s ok to cheat on your spouse… if you write really lovey dovey love letters… it’s ok to lie to everyone and go AWOL… if you say your really really sorry and find an analogous self serving bible anecdote to get you off the hook…
he lied and went AWOL… planned to do it for 10 days… what if a terrorist had attacked?
for now on, he should be called self-serve sanford for the way he’s just sorry for getting caught and is now grasping for why he should not resign…
By poset June 29, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I think God is up there saying “quit invoking my name you adulterous bastard!!”
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' June 29, 2009 at 8:46 pm
So he’s “most sorry” to “have upset, offended, and disappointed friends and supporters” instead of his family? If Jenny Sanford really wants to do what is best for her boys, she needs to keep them away from this asshole. Clearly he cares only about himself and Evita.
By scooter June 29, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Has he yet said that he will NEVER do any of this again? Don’t think so. This is just crazy talk from this guy. I do not accept his apology tour. My word to him: leave now! I will never pay one wit of attention to anything you say. If you value your family, you would stop the quest to have your family, and girlfriend and office all at the same time. Nobody wants you in that position, except ones that may benefit from your position. The rest of us can’t imagine how much more self-absorbed you can get. LEAVE NOW.
By baker June 29, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Kind of interesting where Mark Sanford talks about “presentation.” Seems that he’s admitting to a certain arrogance, perhaps? Is he kind of acknowledging that he’s been a bit of a jerk to people? Like that maybe taking pooping pigs into the Statehouse wasn’t all that cool?
I don’t know — it’s just interesting to see Sanford even approach an admission that his relationships with the other leaders haven’t been so great….and that he’s partly to blame, rather than the all-or-nothing attitude of some of the so-called “reform” crowd.
By Mike June 29, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I don’t necessarily buy the new age mumbo-jumbo either, but I guess he can’t come out and say that everyone is threatening him with physical violence if he hands the reins over to Andre…
By Adam June 29, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Did anyone catch Larry Grooms’ Tweet statement on Sanford:
@Grooms4SCGov The moral integrity to lead was forfeited by our Governor. Its time for change.
Apparently the other reform candidate has taken a different approach that Nikki Haley…good for him.
By Just the Facts Ma'am June 30, 2009 at 6:49 am
Note to Gubner’s handlers. Please have him send a resignation e-mail to me and I’ll be happy to pass it along to help ease his burden.
By liz June 30, 2009 at 8:11 am
Why are we focusing on Sanford’s Affair???
Sanford left the state. Left the COUNTRY…. with his cell phone turned off.
I believe that is a tremendous problem. I don’t much care if he had an affair…. I expected that.
By Toyota Kawaski June 30, 2009 at 9:57 am
what a tool
By Crocodile Tears June 30, 2009 at 10:31 am
It strikes me that, as many times as he’s said he’s sorry and asked for forgiveness, he hasn’t said much about being wrong. Begs the question – is he sorry for being a complete bonehead, ignoring his kids on Father’s Day, and completely shirking his responsibilities as a husband and father, sorry for going on an international booty call and leaving the state AWOL or just sorry that he got busted and gave the media a great opportunity to show who wears the real pants in the Sanford family???
Don’t those who are being asked to forgive deserve to know what the apologies are really all about???