He could have been a contender

This past March The American Conservative had a cover article on Mark Sanford that included this:

He was unsurprised by the party’s quick betrayal of conservative ideals: “A lot of people walked in not clear about what they were about philosophically. And if you aren’t totally clear walking in, you’re going to end up very fuzzy in a very short period of time.”

That’s my kind of guy. In TAC’s treatment, Sanford, while lacking in polish, seems like an intellectually serious conservative/libertarian and a plausible contender for ‘12. So his public self-immolation over “Maria! I’ll never stop saying Maria!” is a real loss to conservatism. It’s not as though our side has such a deep bench.

- end of initial entry -

Gintas writes:

Glass jaw. One look from an Argentinian woman and he goes down for the count in a heap.

Terry Morris writes:

I am at a loss attempting to reconcile within my own thought process how someone so obviously weak-minded and emotionally screwed up could have risen to the governorship of a state of this Union. I mean, politics is a nasty business, not suitable for the faint of heart. Janet Napolitano is a better man than this guy. And I don’t know about you, but I personally prefer a “pitbull in lipstick” over such a weak “man” as Sanford.

Terry Morris writes:

So his public self-immolation over “Maria! I’ll never stop saying Maria!” is a real loss to conservatism. It’s not as though our side has such a deep bench.

Very true as far as it goes. But can you imagine how much more damage would have been done to conservatism had these events transpired while Sanford was serving as president.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 02, 2009 10:52 AM | Send