Oh, Mark Sanford. First you have an affair. Then you lie about it to the public. Then you come clean. Then you cry about it. Then you want everyone to leave you alone while you govern or something. Then you can’t imagine why anyone would investigate your accounting records for evidence of further lies. Sir, you have some balls. Check it, from CNN’s Political Ticker:
One of the frankly disappointing things I’ve seen in several instances here over the last 60 days of my life since I’ve been through this thing is that in some cases it’s not been about objective journalism, its been about advocacy journalism with an agenda,” [Gov. Sanford] said.
Advocating what? Finding out whether you’ve been using public funds for private trysts? Seems…reasonable, Governor. But whatever. Further:
[H]e turned his sights on the South Carolina press corps, with whom he had a largely cordial relationship before he turned the state’s political world upside down in June by copping to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman. He chided the media for its coverage of his travel record and said he has been an excellent steward of taxpayer money, unlike previous administrations.
“Let me say to my friends in the press — some of your are friends, some you are debatable — but we’ll come back to that,” he began. “What happens is really going to be in y’all’s hands. In other words, the way it gets reported, it can be made into circus, it can be made into a Mickey Mouse court if that’s the way you choose to report it. That really is y’all’s responsibility.”
“I would challenge my friends in the media to really look at, ‘What are the real facts in this case?’ What is the larger contest in this case?’” he said, referring to the Ethics Commission investigation.
Jeez, Gov. First, I know you’re all Southern and everything, but using the word “Y’all’s” probably is going to make reporters look further into your spending out of spite. Second, there is no such thing as a “real fact.” There are facts. Third, whatever happens is in the press’ hands? Is that a joke? Aren’t you the guy who fucked a woman who wasn’t his wife and then lied about it? Fourth, and this is really the no-brainer: How can you expect anyone to believe anything you say? Yeah, yeah, your personal life is your own. But you lied to your staff, who not knowing that they were being lied to, lied to the press. And the press, sometimes, doesn’t like being lied to. This must be one of those times.
Then:
Sanford singled out John O’Connor — a political reporter for South Carolina’s largest newspaper, The State — and accused the newspaper of covering the political back-and-forth over the travel controversy while skimming over Sanford’s arguments defending himself.
Sanford took one question, but refused several others. But when O’Connor asked a question about private flights that Sanford failed to report on public disclosures, the governor became irritable.
“John, we’re not going to play your game,” he said, jabbing his finger in the reporter’s direction. “I don’t work for you.”
What’s funny here is that the governor does work for John O’Connor! Because John O’Connor is a citizen of South Carolina and a taxpayer, which makes Mark Sanford directly responsible to him. You know, because he’s a constituent.
But like we said earlier, “Jesus, what balls!”
[...] Look, we at SCFOM don’t really care where you stick whatever as long as everyone involved is over 18 and totes down with your brand of sexiness. What we do mind is turning your personal failing into a rant against the political establishment. First, it’s cowardly. Second, it’s bullshit. Just ask Mark Sanford. [...]