Jenny Sanford: champion of marriage or yet another wife-victim?

 

She is the granddaughter of Bolton Sullivan, founder of the Skil Corp. of Chicago, which makes electric power tools.

She has a degree in finance from Georgetown University.

She worked on Wall Street for the investment banking firm Lazard Freres & Co.

And she managed her husband's campaigns for Congress and the governor's mansion. She even spoke for him in the last days of the 2006 gubernatorial race when South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was sidelined after burning his eyes under the bright stage lights at a groundbreaking ceremony.

But now 46-year-old Jenny Sullivan Sanford -- an outspoken woman who once lashed out at the Legislature for lavish spending while she cut costs at the governor's mansion -- will be remembered for her public response to her husband's private indiscretions.

One day after the governor confessed to having an affair with a woman in Argentina, pundits are having a field day.

Reading the statement she hand-delivered to reporters Wednesday, the one that quotes from Psalms and proclaims "the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage," some praised her stalwart convictions and willingness to forgive.

"Unlike other self-esteem-lacking wives of cheaters, Jenny Sanford shows real courage, class, and dignity in her statement to the press — and in her decision NOT to stand by her adulterous husband at his public confession," wrote conservative columnist Michelle Malkin.

But the Daily Beast's Tina Brown saw it differently. Disappointed that Jenny Sanford did not "set the table for a big-ticket matrimonial lawyer to have a payday on behalf of all the humiliated political wives — ashen Mrs. Eliot Spitzer; pulverized Dina Matos McGreevey; quietly imploding Mrs. Larry Craig; fuming deity Elizabeth Edwards," Brown said the first lady let the governor off the hook.

Belittling Jenny Sanford's offer to forgive her husband if he's willing to work on their relationship -- shades of Hillary Rodham Clinton -- Brown added, "God is great. Roll on the book deal about Resilience, and the date with Oprah."

What do you think?

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo Credit: Reuters photo of the couple arriving at the Obama White House on Feb. 22, 2009, before South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's wife Jenny wife learned that he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina.

Sanford and Ensign called on Clinton to resign after his affair

What’s that old saying about throwing stones and glass houses? It sure comes to mind today. And it relates to President Clinton and two Republicans who just admitted they cheated on their wives.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Mark Sanford, as a congressman, called on Clinton to resign when his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was revealed. Sanford is now Gov. Sanford. And, as just about everyone knows by now, he confessed today that he had an affair with a “dear, dear friend” in Argentina.

But back in 1998, according to the Post and Courier, he said of Clinton, “Very damaging stuff. This one’s pretty cut and dried.” Calling the overall situation messy, he added: “I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally [to resign]."

John Ensign had similar thoughts back then. Ensign is now Nevada’s junior senator. As the Ticket reported, Ensign's popularity slumped after he admitted that he had an affair with a former staffer.

In 1998 he served in Congress and had this to say to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "The honorable thing for him to do is to resign and not put the country through this."

No word from Sanford or Ensign on whether either man plans to resign.

-- Steve Padilla

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South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford wipes his tears as he admitted to having an affair during a news conference in Columbia, S.C Wednesday, June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Gov. Sanford admits he wasn't on Appalachian Trail but in Buenos Aires!

Talk about a political meltdown.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, en route back to work after a mysterious four-day absence, confessed this morning that he had spent the past week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and he claimed he was alone.

Cornered at the Atlanta airport this morning by reporter Gina Smith from the State, South Carolina's leading newspaper, the Republican governor said he had considered hiking the Appalachian Trail after his state's bruising legislative season (think fights over accepting $700 million in funds from President Obama's stimulus package) but decided at the last minute to hop a plane to Argentina.

"I wanted to do something exotic," Sanford explained, calling Buenos Aires "a great city."

As Ticket reported Tuesday, the governor's absence left the state in a state of chaos. The lieutenant governor had no idea where he was. Political foes raised questions about dereliction of duties. And First Lady Jenny Sanford said she had no idea where the governor was but expressed no concerns. "He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids," she told the Associated Press before heading off with their four sons to the family's Sullivan's Island home -- over the Father's Day weekend.

But it turns out Sanford -- whose staff at one point announced he was hiking along the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail -- was actually driving down the coast of Argentina with the wind in his face.

The story raises a lot more questions than it answers. Was the two-term governor trying to dodge the media by parking his black Suburban SUV at Columbia Airport and flying out of Atlanta? Is his political career over? His marriage?

En route back to South Carolina, Sanford added, "I don't know how this thing got blown out of proportion."

-- Johanna Neuman

In this picture taken June, 26, 2008 South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, center, accompanied by unidentified persons, arrives to the government house during his visit to La Plata, Argentina. Sanford admitted that he'd secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he'd been having an affair. during a news conference in Columbia, S.C., Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Sanford will resign as head of the Republican Governors Association. (AP Photo)

Sen. Ensign drops his GOP leadership post after admitting affair

For those who demand accountability in public officials, take heart. There is one area, even in these permissive times, that always leads to political trouble and it is spelled s-e-x.

Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, mentioned as a possible contender for the GOP’s big prize in four years, found that out the hard way. He announced this morning he was stepping down from his party leadership post, a day after admitting that he had an extramarital affair.

It is hard to imagine that sex is as powerful an issue in 2009 as some people thought it was in the past. (Those who think sex in government began with Bill Clinton really should go take a good American history course in summer school -- if you can find one that hasn’t been closed because of funding cuts.)

Still, in the world of Republicans, pro-family and generally religious (hence, pro-fidelity), an extramarital affair can be a problem. Especially when it comes to campaigns and raising money from the conservative base.

Ensign was head of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking spot in the Senate leadership pantheon. Combining rugged good looks, a distinguished head of gray hair and a focused, conservative outlook, Ensign was a possible contender for the GOP presidential nod in four years.

On Tuesday, he said he had a “consensual affair” from December 2007 to August 2008. There has been no indication of why the senator decided to announce his infidelity when he did, prompting media speculation about a motive.

Ensign can take heart, however, America loves someone who can claim to be the comeback kid. There are worse political platforms.

--Michael Muskal

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Obama, recovering smoker, praises regulation of tobacco

Reformed smokers like to say that the hardest thing they ever did was to break their nicotine habit. That may not apply to President Obama, a one-time puffer who today said he would sign legislation to regulate tobacco.

“This bill has obviously been a long time coming,” the president said in the Rose Garden.

“We've known for years, even decades, about the harmful, addictive, and often deadly effects of tobacco products.  Each year Americans pay nearly $100 billion in added healthcare costs due to smoking.

Each day about a thousand young people under the age of 18 become regular smokers.”

During the campaign, Obama had the usual love-hate relationship with Sot-Weed (the American Colonial term for the killer leaf). He was seen chomping on Nicorette gum to ease the withdrawal cravings and often said he would stop smoking to set a better example.  

When Obama appeared on NBC’s "Meet the Press" program in December, interviewer Tom Brokaw noted that the White House was a no-smoking zone.

"Have you stopped smoking," Brokaw asked.

"I have," Obama said. "What I said was that there are times where I have fallen off the wagon."

"Wait a minute," Brokaw interjected, "that means you haven’t stopped."

"Fair enough," Obama said. "What I would say is that I have done a terrific job under the circumstances of making myself much healthier. You will not see any violations of these rules in the White House."

The White House had no immediate comment today on Obama’s smoking. For those keeping track, the no-smoking rule was imposed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton back when she was first lady. 

In his televised comments, Obama stressed the bipartisan support for the anti-tobacco bill, which allows the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the making and marketing of tobacco products.

For the president, the political cooperation was important, especially as Congress heads into the healthcare reform debate, which is expected to be far more contentious than approving a bill dealing with tobacco – which was declared a health hazard four decades ago.

“Leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children, and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is,” Obama said.  “And after a decade of opposition, all of us are finally about to achieve the victory with this bill, a bill that truly defines change in Washington.” 

-- Michael Muskal

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Cigarette packs are on display for sale in a shop April 1, 2009 in New York City. Today the federal tax on packs of cigarettes climbed from 39 cents to $1.01, the largest tobacco tax increase ever and affecting all tobacco products. (Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)

Friday Tickets: Aunt Janet, A. Specter, Elizabeth Edwards, Joe Biden

Fridays are always good times to straighten things out with questions nobody knew needed asking:

First, as part of the new American protocol, have you washed your hands several times already today, as Auntie Janet, the director of Homeland Security, has instructed? You never know whether your mouse has been exposed to swine flu. We disrespectfully decline to use H1N1 virus; too labby.

Where flu flies

Swine is a really great word. So's mollycoddle, an all-time favorite. "Toxic assets" was good while it lasted but now we're handed "legacy assets." As in, previously owned. Words are important in politics, as North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx discovered this week when she gratuitously threw in the word "hoax" while describing the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.

Remember last year how excited everyone got when some Ohio radio host at a John McCain rally kept saying Barack Obama's Muslim middle name, Hussein? Then Obama himself goes and uses it in his inaugural oath. Must be OK now. And radio talk jock and now MSNBC shouter Ed Schultz called former POW McCain a "warmonger" at an Obama rally and everyone yawned?

Now, who's launching his own troop surge in Afghanistan?

A boil-brained scurvy knave

BTW, we've found the best website to generate original political insults with Shakespearean words. Click a button, which we'll do right now to see what to call GOP defector or Democrat hero Arlen Specter. And it gives us "Thou abominable hag-born scut." Again: "Thou artless beef-witted wrinkle-witch."

Do you suppose swine worry about catching human flu? If anyone sees the family of....

Don't look at this buff, shirtless, semi-nude photo of Barack Obama

The last thing any fun-loving politics blog would ever do would be to cheapen itself on a slow weekday by publishing a couple of color photographs of some hunky guy who works out every day and happens to be president of the United States, just to prompt thousands of readers -- all right, lookers -- to click on its pages.

That would be an online gimmick worthy of a high-quality celebrity blog like, say, Elizabeth Snead's Dish Rag, which as it happens sent us just such a photo today, in a crass attempt to draw traffic away from us. We were disgusted that she would think we would stoop so low as to publish the photo larger than she does with her commentary over here.

Who would ever publish such photos simply because some magazine in Washington decides to put a pec pic of the commander-in-chief on its cover? Allegedly because the guy is the No. 1 reason to live in Hunkville. Obviously, sales never crossed its mind either. So it's four months old. It's not news.

The magazine photo above reminded us of the shirtless beach photo of the same guy from the year before. In case you forgot that one, we'll put it here below merely as a reminder. (Do not be tempted to click on the "Read more" line if it's not already showing.)

So, now that we've got that issue straight, while we await the next Maxim cover, we can move on to much more important business, like the bank stress tests and the percentage of TARP money that some of them want to return before the guy who doesn't wear a coat in the Oval Office fires their president too.

-- Andrew Malcolm

At jet speed, Pentagon averts comment on Pelosi plane pranks

It will come as an immense shock to Ticket readers that some people elected to Washington -- and also the people these people surround themselves with -- assign themselves a good deal more import than perhaps seems warranted to those of us OTB (Outside the Beltway).

On Wednesday, the Defense Department's spokesman, Geoff Morrell, sought to play down any questions about newly released documents showing an appalling arrogance by staffers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in dealing with the Air Force over public planes provided for her travel back home to California.

Under questioning, Morrell said "no one has rendered judgment" that Pelosi's use of free Air Force transportation is "excessive."

1) And they better not, at least publicly, since Pelosi's Democratic Party also controls the White House and both houses of Congress, which control the defense budget, and 2) "excessive" use is not really the question.

Background:  After 9/11, then-popular President Bush ordered that the speaker of the House, who is first in line to the presidency after the vice president, get secure government transportation. (BTW, did you know that West Virginia's doddering Robert Byrd is next in line after Pelosi, followed by the secretary of State, none other than Hillary Clinton?)

When Democrat Pelosi took over as speaker from Illinois' Republican Dennis Hastert, this meant a refueling stop en route to San Francisco, which was deemed unacceptable. Pelosi has maintained she's not demanding anything not afforded her male predecessor. And an ABC posting finds that although Pelosi's domestic trips on government planes are longer, Hastert's were more frequent.

But as part of its ongoing investigation of various politicians, the good-government group Judicial Watch obtained Pelosi staff e-mails under a Freedom of Information request.  "This is not good news," Kay King, one staffer, replied to the Air Force when told a certain plane was unavailable. "And we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset speaker."

The report, which the diligent Glenn Thrush details at Politico.com, also describes times that Pelosi changed plans or canceled on short notice, costing the military (taxpayers) unspecified sums.

Over at Newsbusters, they're wondering why the mainstream media is all over congressional members mocking automotive company leaders for taking private jets to testify in Washington, while largely ignoring high-handed attitudes over private jet flights by members of Congress.  Probably just an oversight.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press

Don't worry. All's well. Joe Biden got to the right German city OK

Don't worry. Everything's fine with Vice President Biden.

As The Ticket reported, he was just a little confused earlier today when he referred to going to Berlin.

Fortunately, his Air Force pilot knew where the party was really going -- Munich.

No, not for a funeral yet. There's a military security conference going on there and Biden's speaking. He landed in a dense fog about 2 a.m. local time Saturday and went straight to his hotel. No beer gardens for the VP.

Earlier in the day in Virginia, Biden appeared at the same Democratic retreat as the president last night. Biden shared with everyone his impression of his new travel digs, no longer Amtrak, but Air Force Two.

"That's a nice plane," he said. "I always voted for public housing. Who knew it would be this good?"

-- Andrew Malcolm

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What now for Michael Steele's Republican Party?

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Photo credit: gps.Caltech.edu 

Elizabeth Edwards writes new book. Will she discuss Rielle Hunter?

Elizabeth Edwards is writing a new book. It's called "Resilience." It's due out May 12.

And what many want to know is, does she address the real issue -- the Rielle Hunter issue?

Answer: We don't know for sure.

But it's hard to imagine an autobiography by the wife of a prominent Democratic politician (John of the careful hair) who repeatedly lied in public about cheating on her and she went along with it while he was running again but he became a party pariah as a result, even though he pointed out her cancer was in remission when he philandered with a campaign videographer on the trail.

"She has always been a kind of candid and honest writer," Broadway Books publicist David Drake said. "And people can expect that of her in her new book." So, in other words, we still don't know.

But Roger Friedman over at Fox News says it definitely will address how the candidate's wife experienced the affair, which he confessed to her long before going public last summer.

Previously, Edwards wrote "Saving Graces" about the death of her son, Wade, and her ongoing battle with breast cancer. Last fall, she went back on the road with her health advocacy speeches and appears Wednesday in Missoula, Mont. Later last autumn her husband dipped his toes in public rehab too.

Speaking of political affairs, the video below shows how Hillary Clinton handled her own (accidental?) reference to husband Bill's sexual wanderings at her re-swearing-in as secretary of State on Monday. Her family discussion begins at the 7:30 mark, but the Bill reference, which she herself laughs at, occurs around the 8:30. (Watch his face.)

--Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: DrudgeReport