Political Commentary

Is it possible that Mark Sanford not only doesn't want the presidency, as he torpedoed that forever, but that he also doesn't even want to be governor?

It's possible. He got a lot of deserved criticism over being stubborn over the stimulus plan, and maybe the whole thing was more than he could handle.

When you're a politician on the national stage, you take a lifetime seat in the dunk tank. You sign up for a daily dose of criticism from political opponents, activists, bloggers, radio and TV yappers, newspaper writers, and the guy at the next table in the restaurant. You probably get death threats, and because of that you get the joy of a security detail that waits outside the door when you go to the bathroom. You can go on vacation, but you can never get away, not completely, not even for a day.

Presidents especially give up their private lives for the constant scrutiny of living in a fishbowl, and I suppose they think it is a fair trade-off. Most sane people don't.