Politicians are not real people.
Real people don't mask everything about themselves, act on rational thoughts at all times and pretend to be perfect human beings. At least not the people I know.
Politicians do, however. If you've ever met one, talked to them for a while, you know that all their actions and words are carefully measured to be what they think others want to hear from them.
Mark Sanford, however, acted and spoke exactly as I would expect most people I know would in the same situation. He cheated on his wife, eventually told her, attempted to get past it, couldn't, and then freaked out, took off, came back and is pretty much a broken man because of it.
It's depressing to watch but also refreshing. Slate did a great job of comparing his situation with those of Bill Clinton, John Edwards and John Ensign to show the differences between a politician doing damage control and a man facing his mistake and breaking down in the process.
Before this story broke, I knew little about Mark Sanford. Now, I'm actually a fan and hope that he can continue his career in politics. It's not often politicians actually dwell in this realm we call reality and it seems more than possible that Sanford actually lives in it.
The State was not a real newspaper. At least not in my eyes.
I've been forced to drive through South Carolina many a time, having lived in North Carolina and Georgia for years, driving through to visit the other on occasion. I thought it was a joke that the state had only one newspaper and it wasn't really connected to any specific city. The State? Even the name seemed like an Onion joke in practice.
But the way they handled this situation was masterful. They received emails between Sanford and the woman months ago, but couldn't verify them, so the reporters and editors rightfully sat on them until they could.
When Sanford disappeared, they figured he had gone to see the woman. Knowing that he would fly through Atlanta if he wanted to go to Argentina, they staked out Hartsfield International Airport and nabbed him flying back in.
By the time he was admitting an affair in a shocking news conference, The State was ready to roll with full versions of the emails, minus identifying information about the innocent Argentinian woman. Their stories hit the Web fast and were referenced in just about every national story, and their front page was measured and very well-done.
Then, they pulled back on their editorial page. While other local papers, such as the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, called for the governor's resignation, The State was reserved in its editorial, showing true sadness at the governor's situation and stating that Sanford deserved the chance to show he was able to serve the rest of his term.
As the dust clears this morning, Sanford looks like a flawed but believable person in a bad situation of his own making. The State appears to be a real newspaper, worthy of praise. I would not have believed either result just last week, but applaud both for proving me wrong.
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