How much longer does Sanford have as governor?

[Torie]

Yeah, I know, another freakin' Sanford thread.  But this one has serious intent.

Even without the sexual escapades, Sanford went AWOL for several days without leaving anybody in charge of the state.  That is a grave error of judgement, far moreso than the affair itself.  Let's be thankful that there were no emergencies in that time that required the attention of South Carolina's chief executive.

Incidentally, Spitzer announced his resignation two days after his story broke, upon threat of impeachment by the NY legislature.

There is zero reason for Sanford to resign. He did not commit a crime, and his personal life is nobody's business. However, he lied in public, so his political career is finished. What a pathetic dumb ass! And he may have been irresponsible, but that is not a capital offense either.

I would not resign under these circumstances, but then I would have refused to discuss my personal life as well, much less lie about it.

[Torie]

Depends on whether or not he used taxpayer funds, which would be pretty amusing given that Sanford was a major figure in the "Tea Party" movement.

Spitzer never used public funds to hire the prostitutes.  Although he of course broke the law while Sanford didn't, at least Spitzer didn't irresponsibly leave his state ungoverned for several days.

Well under SC laws, Sanford broke the law as well.

Spitzer resigned by his own will; I don't believe Sanford's feet will be put to the fire unless he was using government money. I could be completely off base though.

What laws did Sanford break?

[Torie]

There is zero reason for Sanford to resign. He did not commit a crime, and his personal life is nobody's business. However, he lied in public, so his political career is finished. What a pathetic dumb ass! And he may have been irresponsible, but that is not a capital offense either.

I would not resign under these circumstances, but then I would have refused to discuss my personal life as well, much less lie about it.

Methinks you'd be singing a different tune had there been some kind of crisis in South Carolina last weekend, and nobody could find the governor...

Ya, but that is not the stuff of resignation, and it certainly isn't legally or ethically required. Moreover, in the governor's absence, the lieutenant governor is authorized to act, and I am quite confident that without the personage of the governor on hand, the state of South Carolina could muddle through just fine.

I am more interested in judging politicians pursuant to their policies and skill at dealing with the big issues. This fixation on detritus such as this strikes me as deflective of that, and rather neighborhood adjacent indeed to well - a red herring.

Sue me! 

[Torie]

Is Sanford really dumb and reckless enough to actually use state funds for his long distance trysts?  If so, color me absolutely amazed. If he did, he needs to spend a few months in jail.