Where's Waldo (Governor Mark Sanford)?

There have been some extremely bizarre stories that have surfaced during the past 18 months. The Palin stories and associated Republican ramblings have been the essence of late night TV, for good reason. Now comes the story of the missing Mark Sanford of South Carolina and you have to ask yourself; is this the Twilight Zone?

What the hell is going on with this guy? First of all, he has absolutely no ability to understand the political priorities of the day. Secondly, he has no ability to recognize his intellectual limitations. Now, I fear for his well-being and the well-being of his family. Governor Sanford's behavior is truly unusual. I can't remember when the disappearance of a politician was more troubling. The man has literally disappeared and is not telling people where he is, including his own family.

In Rhode Island, Patrick Kennedy has just disappeared, but we all know the reason because he was willing to share it with his constituents. It is common knowledge that Patrick has had substance abuse problems. Mark Sanford has serious reasoning problems, and this disappearance is just a manifestation of that.

While someone on his staff claims that he needed to get away to do some writing and he needed to get away from the kids (on fathers day), this does not excuse him from his responsibilities as husband, father, governor and anchor for his family.

To my conservative friends that have sung the praises of the leadership of Mark Sanford; is this the model of leadership you choose? Is President Obama's Father's Day example more appropriate for Americans to consume? Is this not a sad day for Mark Sanford's 4 sons that did not get to share Father's Day with him?

Unlike many people, I have "empathy" in my heart and I sincerely hope that Governor Mark Sanford is recovering from his personal problems. I won't speculate as to the cause of his mysterious disappearance; but I will remind readers that South Carolina is the state that kept Strom Thurmond's secret for approximately 8 decades. Strom Thurmond's secret; the fathering of a child with a black women when Thurmond was the foremost segregationist in the United States, was breath-taking.

In South Carolina, they seem to know how to keep secrets. Let's hope that Mark Sanford is doing some serious soul searching of his own and will be the better person for his time away. As for his 4 sons, they will not recapture the time apart and they will apparently have difficulty understanding it. How could they understand it if Sanford's wife does not know where he is?

I advise the good people of South Carolina that are looking for leadership to look towards the leadership of President Obama.

tomtoak