South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will
return to the state tomorrow after a hike along the
Appalachian Trail turned into headlines suggesting he had
disappeared. Sanford communications director Joel Sawyer told
reporters, "It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat
taken aback by all of the interest this trip has gotten."
The political repercussions for Sanford, a potential candidate
for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, will outlast
the trip. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer feels he was misled by Sanford's
staff. Sanford's political opponents are presenting this bizarre
incident as an example of the governor going AWOL. I think
Sanford should try to turn this around by challenging other
politicians to go away and leave us alone for a while.
