Margo Howard | 07/01/2009 8:25 am
Whatever Happened to Discretion?
Editor’s Note: A longtime journalist, Margo Howard went into the family business (her mother was the fabled Ann Landers) in the 1990s as Dear Prudence. Her broad experience and understanding of human nature provide answers for the troubled — and entertainment for everyone else. Margo’s advice column, Dear Margo, appears twice a week — on Thursdays and Fridays — on wowOwow.com.
What’s up with Gov. Mark Sanford? I cannot remember another public confession so loaded with detail. It’s as though he were a "sinner" looking for forgiveness, and we are Oprah. Sanford is making John Edwards’s stonewalling look positively admirable. (You know … it was only one night and the baby isn’t his.)
I heard a reporter from South Carolina saying on NPR that the governor apparently “wanted to talk." I’ll say. We learned the Argentinean bombshell was his "soul mate," that he "had crossed the line before" — but "not the sex line" — on trips out of the country to unwind with the boys. He went public with this tidbit: "This was a whole lot more than a simple affair. This was a love story."
However … let’s hear it for the little woman. Three cheers for Jenny Sanford who threw him out. How refreshing to see a political wife act like a woman instead of some humiliated helpmate who is often trying to save a political career. No Silda or Hillary she, in effect saying to the public: "If I don’t care, why should you?"
I am trying really hard not to entertain feelings of schadenfreude about love-struck dude being yet another one in a long conga line of Republican moralists who are caught with, well, their pants down. I am frankly embarrassed for the guy. How much more dignified to have sought out a therapist if he had the need to spill? In one of his confessionals he said he had blown up his career, his marriage and the lives of his children. So: what next? Putting on my advice columnist hat I would recommend that he move to Argentina to be with Chapur and become a gaucho, or something. And also that he sit down and shut up.

























513 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
R J B Reed - Last sentence — Yep Clinton sat on MY couch in MY White house and let Monica Lewinski suck his privates. That couch belongs to the people of the United States and so does the White House. We, the people are the owners. At least that’s the way I’ve always thought. I pay the taxes. So do you. If you think what I said is kinky - so be it! I really don’t give a darn!
I am a straight white, woman married to a white straight man for 48 years and we have a wonderful traditional marriage. It has been an incredible marriage. It works very well. Out family values have been handed down to our daughter. So, as you can see, there are differences in our lives. As far as your’re not being able to adopt a child because of your sexual orientation - check into another state. Not all states have that law. I’m sorry that your find it insulting that your state does not allow you to adopt. Maybe you could check with Foster Parenting. Sometimes after you have had a child in your home for a certain time period your state might re-consider. It’s been done in other states.
As far as which party sleeps around the most - not much difference. They all seem to be "Randy Andy’s".
TMI? I’ve told you my sexual orientation and nothing else. Why is that disgusting? After all, I have to listen to the blather of a myriad of straight folks without ever batting an eye. So no, I am not going to keep who I am private. I will not fill anyone in on specific details, but when it comes to a question about "traditional values", I’m not going to lie about who I am.
Grow up.
Thank you, RJB for your honesty. What you shared was in no way disgusting and you have as much right to share information about your marriage and lifestyle as anyone else on this board. It is amazing to me that some people want to live with their head in the sand and cannot accept the fact that there is a diversity of lifestyles in this country. They would prefer to legislate their "traditional" life style on everyone…………..
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh, my "wonderful husband". Your absolutely correct.
Do I sense a hint of jealousy???????????
What you sensed, Irish Eyes, was sarcasm………..but, as usual, it went right over your head……..
I beg to differ. Sanford lied about how many times he had been with this woman. He lied about being holier than thou with Larry Craig and others who weren’t living up to his idea of upstanding Christian values. How the hell do you know what was going on in Hillary’s mind while this was going on? Humiliation is humiliation, and Hillary does not deserve armchair critique simply because you disagree with her politics. And, as has been previously noted, it wasn’t so much the affair as the total hypocrisy over all these Republicans falling over themselves pointing their fingers at Democratic sinners while they themselves can’t seem to stop themselves from getting caught in far more interesting positions. It’s almost as if God is tossing out a little instant karma there.
Oh, my, deber B, Sanford was in deed caught in a lie of huge proportions. He left his state, his constituents with no elected official holding the authoriy to make decisions for the people. His wife did not know where he was should anything happen to his sons. While on a commerce trip to Brazil, he requested that his areas of interest had suddenly expanded to Argentina; thus, using his constituents’ money. Yes, Governor Sanford was otherwisw engaged. Well, at least dating.
Clinton’s behaviour with Lewinsky, to me, is disgusting. Hillary earned her opportunity to seek her own place in American leadership. Jenny Sanford can afford to be stronly independent; she’s the one with the money. Cinton paid for his lie; he was almost impeached, but our elected officials followed a different course. I do not second guess them. Nor did I applaud Craig, Foley, Ensign, Vitter, Edwards, Spitzer when they were ‘caught’, all revealing violations of their own moral codes, but some darked their character even more with a big pile of hypocracy.
Please understand this conversation is all about these people, not you and me.
Peace and grace