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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Much Ado About A Governor's Hiking Trip

Seems that when South Carolina's Mark Sanford told his wife he would be taking a few days away, then actually went away without being able to be reached, the red flags went up saying he was "missing".

His wife was unconcerned and understanding, but the rest of the world seems to have gone over the edge.

Most recent news is he has called in and was very surprised to find out he was "missing" and will return on Weds.

Late Monday, his office said the governor was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, ending four days during which staff and state officials said they had not heard from him.

In a statement, Joel Sawyer, Sanford's spokesman said, "Governor Sanford called to check in with his chief of staff this morning. It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat taken aback by all of the interest this trip has gotten.

"Given the circumstances and the attention this has garnered, the governor communicated to us that he plans on returning to the office tomorrow.

Neither Sanford’s office nor the State Law Enforcement Division, which provides security for governors, had been able to reach Sanford since he left the mansion Thursday in a black Suburban SUV assigned to his security detail, said state Sen. Jake Knotts , R-Lexington, and three others familiar with the situation, but who declined to be identified.

On Monday, Sawyer would not disclose where on the trail the governor was hiking, nor would he reveal whether Sanford was hiking alone.


Ok, yes, he is head of a state and should be able to be reached during emergencies, but just wanting to know where he is isn't an emergency, so to me this is much ado about nothing.

It is said Sanford's name has been tossed out there for the 2012 presidential election, if he wants to be able to get time away like this, he needs to make it clear that isn't going to happen because president's cannot just ditch their security and disappear for days on end.

Otherwise, leave the guy alone.

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