From one of his love letters to his Argentinian mistress:
"One, tomorrow leave at 5 a.m. for New York and meetings. Will think about you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when you are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the National Governor's Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour. Few days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friend's boat for the last break of the summer. The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home ...Two, mutual feelings .... You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night's light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details ...
Oh, what an exciting life. Jet-setting, kibitzing with the GOP nominee, and then a little epistolary nightcap with his mistress.
This man is not worthy of his wife or his three boys.
UPDATE: Of course there can be forgiveness and reconciliation, and this marriage and family can be saved. One has to hope and pray for that. But healing begins with this adulterous husband and unfaithful father recognizing in his marrow the depth of his betrayal. There can be no healing without repentance, and no true repentance without authentic contrition.
UPDATE.2: That "not worthy" comment was harsh, and I withdraw it. What Sanford did was revolting, but I'm in no position to judge his worth to his wife and kids. By now, regular readers know that I feel extremely strong about fidelity to spouses and children. I get emotional about these things. If, God forbid, I was ever tempted to cheat on my wife, I hope I would have the presence of mind to know that I was not only betraying here, but betraying two little boys and a little girl who believe in their father, and who count on him to be the man he professes to be. When I see that bond broken in marriages that have children, I feel it intensely. Reading Sanford's e-mail love letter, all I could think about was his wife and kids. I should probably not blog about men who betray their wife and children until I've had time to cool down.
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TR: Well maybe not, but I think there is something unhealthy in Dreher's need to call people filth or unworthy of their children or whatever. Do people not involved really have an ability to make those kinds of judgments?
His blog, his judgement. This is what you DO on your blog. You don't have to buy his judgements (I usually don't)
1. How soon before "Evita" turns up in Playboy or Penthouse?
2. How soon before Mark Sanford is a "correspondant" on Faux News? Oh yeah, probably never. They now claim he is a Democrat.
There is one aspect of this sad story that bothers me: How did these personal e-mails become public? Who was able to access them and make them public? Sorry, but whoever is responsible for disseminating them to the media is simply sleazy!
"His blog, his judgement."
TR: My comment, my judgment.
My life experience has shown most all men are vulnerable & are not the aggressors in a hetero-sexual relationship. BUT if they are in a position to cheat with little fear of being "found out" they readily succumb to temptation.
I blame the mistress. A woman knows when a man is interested and she has the power to turn it on or turn it off. The mistress obviously knew he was married and easily could have "turned it off".
With these love mails it seems Sanford attempted to justify the illicit relationship by trying to portray the affair as "romantic love".
Sad as it is for me to admit (as I am a staunch Republican conservative with warm fuzzy feelings for SC Republicans)--Sanford has to go. He made a very bad decision & is not worthy of a position of power. Sanford displayed one vulnerability; who knows how many more there are?
And by the way I'm getting quite weary of people cutting down FOX News, just like I tuned out the people cutting down Michael Jackson years ago. I put them in the same category as the folks in Minnesota who voted for Al Franken.
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