'Zen-Like' Sanford Embarks on Forgiveness Tour

South Carolina governor on 'forgiveness tour' despite mounting pressure
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 2, 2009 8:03 AM CDT
'Zen-Like' Sanford Embarks on Forgiveness Tour
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford listens to remarks during a Budget and Control Board meeting in Columbia, S.C.   (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain/FILE)

South Carolina Republicans say they have the votes to impeach Mark Sanford, but the philandering governor tells the Wall Street Journal he's not going to "crawl into a cave." In his first major interview since his affair in Buenos Aires, Sanford says he has a "zen-like" acceptance of his diminished role, and he's undertaking a "forgiveness tour" to win back voters' support. "My life is without distraction," the governor says.

Sanford refuses to comment on his relationship with his wife, Jenny, who left the governor's mansion with their four children—though he does say they saw each other last weekend. The governor wants to push through a few final priorities, including constitutional reform, but the voters who've turned up at Kiwanis Club meetings and other functions are less convinced. "He kept saying, 'We're going to do so-and-so,'" said one man who voted for Sanford twice. "How many 'we's does he think he's got behind him?" (More Mark Sanford stories.)

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