Krauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’
Krauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’
Following the surprising news that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had an affair with a woman in Argentina, Fox News’ right-leaning “All-Stars” declared yesterday that Sanford’s political future is in serious trouble. “I think he’s toast,” said the Washington Examiner’s Byron York. The Washington Post’s Charles Krauthammer agreed, saying “I think he is toast politically”:
KRAUTHAMMER: And resigning from the Republican Governors’ Association chairmanship is not going to do it, and the reason is that there is a dereliction of duty here. I know that’s the titillation of the reason for it, but even apart from that, he is the governor of the state.
The governor of the state is chief executive, and if there is a disaster in the state, and this guy is incommunicado, he is nowhere to be seen and he doesn’t transfer authority to his lieutenant governor who calls out the National Guard, you cannot recover from that. I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.
Watch it:
Transcript:
BAIER: but Byron, what about this story and how strange it has been?BYRON YORK, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON EXAMINER : Well, I think he’s toast. It’s been a bizarre scene over the last week.
South Carolina has just been a hotbed of rumors. I talked to someone in South Carolina a few days ago and said What’s going on? And they said, well, the theory is it’s either a Susan Boyle-type breakdown or another woman, or maybe both. And it seems to have kind of been both.
He has a large group of social conservatives in South Carolina who never loved him all that much who are very upset about this.
A reconciliation, a public reconciliation with his wife would be very popular with them, but the wife released a statement today saying that she had actually thrown him out a couple of weeks ago, and as part of that arrangement, he was not supposed to get in touch with the family, and thus when he disappeared, went AWOL, she didn’t know where he was.
All of this stuff looks really bad, and a number of Republicans in South Carolina are saying this does not look good for him.
BAIER: And Mort, he was at one time considered to be in the running for 2012.
MORT KONDRACKE, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ROLL CALL : I thought he was going to be the leading right wing candidate, and he was setting himself up to do that by refusing the $700 million from the stimulus package and all that. It raised his profile among Republicans.
But look, multiple affairs did not stop Bill Clinton from being elected president, but that’s because the Democratic Party is a lot more tolerant of licentiousness than the Republican Party is, and that’s the rub for poor old Mark Sanford here.
You know, he — this, plus John Ensign’s disclosure last week –
BAIER: Senator from Nevada.
KONDRACKE: Nevada — that he had an illicit affair is good news for Mitt Romney, for Bobby Jindal, for Pawlenty of Minnesota, for all the other candidates who might be running in 2012.
BAIER: Charles?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: I would agree. I think he is toast politically.
And resigning from the Republican Governors’ Association chairmanship is not going to do it, and the reason is that there is a dereliction of duty here. I know that’s the titillation of the reason for it, but even apart from that, he is the governor of the state.
The governor of the state is chief executive, and if there is a disaster in the state, and this guy is incommunicado, he is nowhere to be seen and he doesn’t transfer authority to his lieutenant governor who calls out the National Guard, you cannot recover from that. I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.
And the idea that he could actually have an affair in Argentina as an acting governor is sort of insane. If you go to Argentina, you have to have your passport stamped. You can’t hide it.
I don’t want to play psychiatrist on the show every night. However, the oddity of this and the self-destructiveness would suggest even to a layman that this is a near intentional political suicide.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Holy KrapHeimer! I agree with the upperlipfromhell.
Gotta go throw up….
June 25th, 2009 at 12:41 pmA “no $hit ” statement from alternate reality.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:42 pmWGAF what Krackhead has to say. He is a pompous reich-wing hack!
June 25th, 2009 at 12:43 pmWhen a repuglican wants another repuglican to resign…I’m firmly on the side that wants him to stay…
June 25th, 2009 at 12:44 pmWho cares what Krat(whatever his name is) thinks? But i agree that Sanford should be kicked to the curb. The intimate details is the e-mails is quite astonishing for an uptight Repug. But totally humiliating to his wife and sons. He should resign. IMMEDATELY.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pmThis just proves the old adage — “even a talking corpse (like crapHeimer) picks up an acorn every once in awhile”.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pmFor a party that incessantly persecutes gay men and women with its own morality puffsniffery, the repiggies are showing their true colors as a bunch of sick and depraved sleazebags. Their assorted toadies and brownnoses are all over cable news right now, indulging in various forms of “yeah, but…yeah, but…yeah, but…”
implying that the opposition has no sense of morality at all.
It is truly astounding to see the holy roller slime machine in action.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pmKrauthummer, if he could get himself out of the wheel-chair, would give Sanford a standing O with the other Republicans if the occasion arose.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:46 pmI can’t believe that I agree with Krauthammer. But what he says is absolutely right. Sanford is toast, and for exactly the reason Krauthammer gives.
I have a feeling that once rational minds explain to Sanford what his options are (quit or be fired, essentially), he’ll most likely resign his office.
If I was André Bauer, I’d be getting suited up for the game right about now.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:47 pmThe degree of dereliction is significant. The SC legislature should impeach if he doesn’t step down.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:48 pmAANNNDDDDD…. Sanford’s adultery makes him a CRIMINAL under S.C. law.
Has ANYONE in the MSM mentioned this FACT yet?
June 25th, 2009 at 12:50 pmNo, Krauthammer is wrong about the reson. Sanford is toast because even the Republicans in the state legislature hate him. Otherwise, they would give him a standing ovation.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:51 pmmisscoleopteramolly Says: If I was André Bauer, I’d be getting suited up for the game right about now.
And he better make sure he only takes off the suit in his wife’s presence.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:52 pmIn fact Sanford is an INTERNATIONAL SEX CRIMINAL!
June 25th, 2009 at 12:52 pmAnd speaking of André Bauer, has anybody noticed that he would be the third Lt. Governor to get a promotion due to the boss royally screwing up in less than a year and a half? New York, Illinois, South Carolina…
Apparently the number two job has become a lot more relevant lately.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:52 pmLungman424 Says:
When a repuglican wants another repuglican to resign…I’m firmly on the side that wants him to stay…
I agree; I say keep those hypocritical clowns like Sanford, Ensign and Craig front and center.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:53 pmKrauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’
– - Is that a “GOP week”? After all, Sanford says he told his wife about this woman 5 months ago. Then he waits until Father’s Day weekend (nice touch) to wing down to Argentina and THEN spends FIVE days saying “farewell” to his concubine. Couldn’t that have been a one day trip? A phone call?
LOTS of shoes yet to drop on this one.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:53 pmWell, the reason the GOP would want him gone is that if he stands for re-election it’s quite possible we could get a Dem in there. SC would be a tough nut to crack, but this might just be enough to do it. Even if he serves out the rest of this term, then nobody has the incumbent advantage. But if he resigns early, then lt. gov. André Bauer (R) gets to slip in there now, finish the term and hold the incumbent advantage going into the next election.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:54 pmshoeless Says
June 25th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
No, Krauthammer is wrong about the reson. Sanford is toast because even the Republicans in the state legislature hate him. Otherwise, they would give him a standing ovation.
_____________________________________________________________
OK, you have a good point. I guess I was thinking more about legalities and less about plain old visceral emotions.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:55 pmJohnM Says:
But, but, but, Clinton.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:55 pmKrauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’
– - Btw, Sen. Ensign (R-elieved) NV, is questioning why Sanford had to diddle an Argentine woman. Ensign insists the tail of American staffers should do nicely.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pmBTW, has it been confirmed that Sanford’s “hiking partner” is actually a woman? Everybody’s saying that, but I’ve noticed that he judiciously avoided using any gender-specific nouns or pronouns throughout his entire eight minute rambling apology.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmDid anyone catch Morning Joe this morning with Joe going on about how the evening cable news crews (and some of them at MSNBC) shouldn’t be going on about this affair that Sanford had because some of them lived in glass houses and they shouldn’t be throwing stones? He even asked Barnicle if he should name names.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmAn international sex criminal who should be arrested for his international sexing.
ANd for all we know he could have given away secrets to his Argentinian floozy!!
Quick! What secrets does South Carolina have that he might have given away? Do they have any?
June 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmNooooooo. Krauthammer is as dependable in his predictions as Kristol!
Hopefully he just has the time frame wrong.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmYes, maybe it Mario, not Maria.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:58 pmElBruce Says:
BTW, has it been confirmed that Sanford’s “hiking partner” is actually a woman? Everybody’s saying that, but I’ve noticed that he judiciously avoided using any gender-specific nouns or pronouns throughout his entire eight minute rambling apology.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
_______________
He did refer to “her” once or twice and talked about “her” separation from her husband. But otherwise he did use the word “person” quite a lot, didn’t he?
June 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pm.
So anyway, the big elephant in the room says:
http://accountability4torture.com/
June 25, 2009
TORTURE ACCOUNTABILITY DAY
==================================
U.N. Human Rights Chief Criticizes Handling of Detainees
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062401172_pf.html
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
===================================
Lawyer: Spanish prosecution of Bush lawyers will proceed
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/06/24/lawyer-spanish-prosecution-of-bush-lawyers/
Published: June 24, 2009
==================================
Y’all do know that this Sanford and Sin story has short legs.
.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pmI wonder if Sanford shaves down there…uhh…down there in Argentina, I mean…
June 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pm“Ma-rio. I just met a boy named Mario. And suddenly the world…”
Nah. He just followed nice corprocrat standards and offshored his business.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pmThe governor of the state is chief executive, and if there is a disaster in the state, and this guy is incommunicado, he is nowhere to be seen and he doesn’t transfer authority to his lieutenant governor who calls out the National Guard, you cannot recover from that. I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.
Why didn’t a Democrat, liberal or progressive say this? Or did they?
June 25th, 2009 at 1:11 pmLarry Flynt announced Wednesday, Hustler’s release of it’s latest porn video, Sanford and Sin.
/snark off:
June 25th, 2009 at 1:12 pmEven the General Manager of a bar and grill can’t take off for a weekend without leaving a number he can be reached at and letting his assistant manager know what’s going on.
What an idiot.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:14 pmTo me it is not the adultery its the hypocrisy. Republicans point out the adultery of Democrats and state that they keep their political positions, that pols on both sides have these failures, but the difference is Democrats don’t set themselves up a moral judges. Like I say, its the hypocrisy.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:17 pmBreaking News.. Farrah Fawcet died.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:17 pmKrauthammer, Sanford was missing when SC was burning down, I guess you forgot about that “alternative reality?”
Sanford was like that at Goldman Sachs, he would just leave and not tell anyone anything.
I have a funny inclination that Sanford’s wife pushed him into running for governor when he had no intentions on running, I mean she comes from money.
Sanford is a bum.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:18 pm#33. Yeah, look what happened to Joanna when she went AWOL from Chotchkie’s.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:18 pmWell.. Now Sandford is meeting his wife and sons. I wonder how that will go down. One word. AWKWARD.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:20 pm“Krauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’”
This week will certainly be throwing Sanford under the bus. With friends like Krauthammer, who needs enemies. And I notice that The Party of No gang have been pretty quiet on the Sinful Sanford scandal. *cricket* *cricket*
June 25th, 2009 at 1:21 pmKrauthammer wins the Captain Obvious award…
June 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pmKrauthammer on Sanford: ‘I think he doesn’t last a week in the office of governor.’
– - Has Rush told Sanford yet what he should do?
June 25th, 2009 at 1:24 pmI guess Sanford was down in Argentina working on his own “stimulus plan”.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:25 pmCredibility is not the strong suit of these clowns. Recall that they were the one’s who hyped the promise of Reagan’s trickle down economics, victory in Iraq, and a McCain/Palin win in 2008.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:30 pmYes, he told Sanford, “Next time just go to Dominica and rent a few young boys. I get away with it all the time.”
June 25th, 2009 at 1:31 pmFox News’ right-leaning “All-Stars” …?
Right-LEANING??
Whew. Got understatement??
June 25th, 2009 at 1:31 pmSo who is this Krauthammer guy anyways?
.
Wiz Says:
To me it is not the adultery its the hypocrisy. Republicans point out the adultery of Democrats and state that they keep their political positions…
The only “caught cheating” politician of either party who is still in office would be Vitter. He’s a Republican.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:33 pmI do hope we can get over the jokes about this entire folly sooner rather than later.
Sanford is going to resign over this. That’s definite. It leaves South Carolina in a very unstable environment. I’m hoping that the state can get through this transition safely.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:34 pmFrom what I understand, a lot of the unstable environment in South Carolina is caused by Sanford.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:36 pmI don’t know if paying a hooker to change your diaper is technically cheating.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:38 pmBadmoodman Says:
- – Has Rush told Sanford yet what he should do?
Believe it or not, Limbaugh is blaming the affair on Obama, saying that Sanford (and other Americans) are trying to get their “kicks” in before Obama’s policies bring total destruction to the American way.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:38 pmI kid you not.
How do you destroy something which has already been destroyed? Do you just start blowing up the rubble?
June 25th, 2009 at 1:45 pmAIO Says:
Believe it or not, Limbaugh is blaming the affair on Obama, saying that Sanford (and other Americans) are trying to get their “kicks” in before Obama’s policies bring total destruction to the American way.
I kid you not.
Rush has joined Michael Savage in jumpuing on the bandwagon that it would be worse if it were a Democrat, and Rush has added that the Democratic Party way would be to attack the woman in the affair.
I’m surprised Rush is even touching this subject. Wait a minute. No, no I’m not.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:45 pmNah, he’ll cry and beg forgiveness, and say that Jesus has personally forgiven him for his terrible sins, and the Repugs will slap him on the back, agree that we are all born sinners, and it’ll be hunky dory again.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:48 pmLibs, remove the plank.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:14 pm52. Purple State:
When can I anticipate hearing that the Sanford affair was the fault of Clinton ?
And as for the dems in SC saying something, they can play the high ground and just watch Gotterdamerung as spectators. Sanford has taken a scorched earth policy with many republican ideals also.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:16 pmJon Stewart summed it up… another governor with a conservative heart and a liberal dick.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:19 pmNow, if the local press could only get Gov. Dick Perry of Texas with his gay lovers……. Nah! He has those corporations wrapped around his little finger. Bummer!
June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 pmThe only “caught cheating” politician of either party who is still in office would be Vitter. He’s a Republican.
How about John Ensign? That one’s a dooozy!
June 25th, 2009 at 2:31 pmOMG it’s like he took my posts on conservative blogs and spewed it as his own thought…
Dang i’m good….
First and foremost,
Governor Sanford BROKE the “Chain of Command” in my state (SC) leaving us with NO immediate response capability in the event of an emergency. For this action and this action ALONE he should be impeached! I don’t care that his wife didn’t know where he was or not. I don’t care he had an affair. I do care that his staff either covered for him or did not know how to reach him and he had not released power of authorization to the Lt. Governor as ANY Governor would have if they were going incommunicado.
Spin the rest of the story anyway you want but dereliction of duty makes him a dangerous liability to our state.
Now should he be attacked publicly?
For 15 years Gov. Sanford presented himself as a rabid family values candidate and has now been caught in dereliction of duty due to his INFIDELITY!
Are we not to point out the hypocrisy of this man’s actions and beliefs?
Remember this man publicly demanded Clinton resign for his “infidelity” with Lewinsky.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:47 pmAt least Clinton never disappeared and left us with no chain of command.
I see the rats are jumping off the sinking ship. Just what I expected.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:20 pmNo way Sanford will resign. Look at the grandstanding about the stimulus. I bet the only way is to impeach him if SC really wants him out.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:28 pmshoeless Says:
I don’t know if paying a hooker to change your diaper is technically cheating.
Good point. I doubt if his wife wanted first crack at that. Er, so to speak.
.
EmTee Says:
Nah, he’ll cry and beg forgiveness, and say that Jesus has personally forgiven him for his terrible sins, and the Repugs will slap him on the back, agree that we are all born sinners, and it’ll be hunky dory again.
I’ve got a funny feeling he’d just rather chuck it all and retire to Argentina. Seriously, we’re just keeping him away from his one true love with all this political crap.
.
looktothehills Says:
Libs, remove the plank.
You mean the “family values” plank from the GOP platform? We’re working on it, thanks.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:32 pmAs usual Krackman is wrong. He will last. He has only a year and a half to go. I doubt that rabble in his state will want him gone before then. Too much trouble to break in the next in line. And look Ensign is still there, even though he said if he ever did anything like he did, he would know enough to resign and leave office. He didn’t did he? And Vitter is still there.
They stay. Like spoiled fish or unwanted house guests, you cannot unload them. And they do not have enough sense or enough dignity to go on their own. I will be surprised if Sanford goes.
What we can depend on is the next GOP mistake. I will make a bet on that. There are so few sure ways to make a buck these days. It’s nice to know there are some sure things.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:46 pmAnd is Krauthammer a resident of South Carolina or what. If not, who cres what he thinks. It is entirely up to South Carolinians what is to become of Governor Sanford. Besides, Krauthammer is just a judgmental prig busy body so who cares what he says.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:10 am