When Mark Sanford was asked last week by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer how John McCain’s economic policies would differ from those of George W. Bush, the governor might as well have stayed home. Sanford drew a blank, stammered and stumbled, and searched desperately for any possible policy examples that might differentiate the Republican presidential candidate from the current Republican president. Our poor governor never gave a satisfactory answer, something Blitzer pointed out as the television segment ended and newspaper editors nationwide began conjuring up headlines to chronicle what most observers agreed was a monumental gaffe.
As a longtime admirer of Sanford, it was clear to me what happened. While the typical politician is prepared to lie on cue, as a man who has built his political career on sticking to principle and keeping his promises, deception doesn’t come naturally to the governor. Sanford didn’t offer any economic policy differences between McCain and Bush because there aren’t any. And instead of damning him for being unsuccessful in his attempt to play the good Republican, Sanford’s spectacular disaster instead reminded me that our governor is something much more admirable than a skilled party hack — he’s a good person.
In politics, this makes Sanford a rare animal. If it is true that a man can be judged by his friends, then he might also be judged by his enemies. And the harshest criticisms against Sanford come not from South Carolina voters who have elected the former Congressman and current governor on five separate occasions, but from politicians in the Statehouse, who find Sanford’s unwavering dedication to fiscal conservatism a constant roadblock to conducting business as usual. It only makes sense that the standard, run-of-the-mill crooked politician, accustomed to running the political mill according to long-established, crooked standards, would spew venom at any man who might throw a monkey wrench in the machine. And out of a genuine commitment to good government, Sanford considers it his duty to keep throwing wrenches.
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