Former Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina has decided to fix his credibility problem by joining Fox News as a political commentator.
Governor Sanford‘s an expert. Elected three times to Congress and twice to the governorship of South Carolina, he was a rising star whose run to the top was interrupted by a sex scandal.
A sex scandal with a twist! Governor Sanford just plain disappeared for a few days in 2009, and his excuse sounded just like a witless euphemism for doing something naughty — he said he’d been “hiking the Appalachian Trail.”
That sounded like a euphemism for something naughty because it was. As it turns out, Sanford wasn’t hiking a woodland trail in the United States, he was walking on a South American beach and dreamily staring into the eyes of his Argentine mistress, Maria Belen Chapur.
Sanford’s marriage didn’t survive, but he weathered an impeachment attempt and stayed in office until his term ended.
Sanford couldn’t run for the governorship a third time (South Carolina has term limits), and he’s known around the world as a liar and a cheat, so how’s the poor guy supposed to make a living and support four sons, an ex-wife and a mistress?
According to this report, by passing judgment on other politicians on Fox News, of course!
Read more in the Who2 biography of Mark Sanford, and don’t miss his chapter in our feature Common Bonds: Disappearing Acts.