Another one bites the dust

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford joined a long line of political philanderers Wednesday when he apologized for an extramarital affair that could kill his ambitions for national office.

His emotional apology followed a week-long folly to Argentina, where he met with a woman he admitted seeing for more than a year.

Saying he would "let the chips fall where they may," the promising Republican was forced to come clean after the story of his disappearance became a statewide concern that escalated into a punch line for late-night comedians.

With mixed signals from his wife and staff about his whereabouts, Sanford's gig was up when a reporter approached him in the Atlanta airport while attempting to return to the Palmetto State unnoticed.

So with tears in his eyes and remorse in his voice, the 49-year-old two-term governor is now added to a list of fallen angels that includes the likes of President Bill Clinton, former presidential candidate John Edwards, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, presidential hopeful Gary Hart and, yes, even Jerry Springer, the tabloid talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati.

Romantic rendezvous

In days to come, we will continue to ask questions to fill in the blanks of this intriguing story.

Who is the other woman? What about his wife and four young sons? Did his staff assist in the cover-up story about his romantic rendezvous? Did this really begin with some innocent cyber footsie through e-mail?

As the rumors swirled during his unprecedented absence, Sanford's political enemies, of which there are many, swooped in on the governor, who tried in vain to reconstruct the state's pillars of power that were reconfigured during the days of Reconstruction.

At first, even his wife Jenny played along with the story that he was hiking somewhere along the Appalachian Trail to clear his head after the bloody political infighting.

But, as with most lies, it began to unravel as more and more pressure was applied.

Thus, Sanford was caught in the glare of media madness when he finally decided to return home and face the music.

This political football will be kicked a hundred times between now and the next election cycle. We haven't had anything this juicy in South Carolina since Congressman John Jenrette made scandalous headlines by having sex with his wife Rita on the steps of the national Capitol in the 1970s.

Treacherous tripwire

The timing of Sanford's capitulation could not have been scripted better for a dramatic downfall.

The governor had just finished a highly publicized, two-month battle with the Legislature to keep the Palmetto State from receiving about $700 million in federal stimulus money.

He ultimately lost his fight in court but became a darling of fiscal conservatives across the nation for his effort.

In a rather fallow field of candidates to represent the Republican Party in the next presidential election, Sanford's plain-talking manner was gaining traction as a potential contender.

This admission, however, could end speculation about his quest for higher office.

He, of course, is not the first to fall from grace in the throes of passion or the embrace of true love.

And, despite the illumination of this treacherous tripwire, he will surely not be the last.

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or 937-5598. To read previous columns, go to postandcourier.com/burger/.