Gov. Mark Sanford -- What else?

What else, or who else, indeed, would occupy this space this morning? -- although the "What else" question about Gov. Sanford is soon to enter the broader investigative realm of state finances.

But who, really, cares about that? Mostly this is a story that provides us yet another titillating, voyeuristic peek into the private mind and shadowy actions of yet another colossal hypocrite -- a genuine "Tartuffe," as Molière stylized these wretched creatures of furtive intent.

I won't deny my own rather embarrassing indulgence in schadenfreude; nevertheless last night I sat and watched two virtually uninterrupted hours of Sanfordology, on "Hardball" and "The Ed Show," with a discernable degree of sorrow, of uneasy participation, of loss.

Why loss? Because there they were, prominent political network hosts engaged in breathless analysis of a ruined Suuthrun governor -- was, for instance, Sanford's press-conference stage-management of first order?; is it better to have the jilted, humiliated little lady accompanying the scalawag pol?; has his anonymous staff distanced itself enough from this clown? -- just as sinister manipulations of the most historic domestic legislation since Medicare were taking place in the cloakrooms of Congress.

Sinister, and, for at least two hours (which stretched well into the night, I'm sure), silent.

Yes, we get it. Mark Sanford is a hypocrite, as is John Ensign, Newt Gingrich, Mark Foley ...

And, yep, these jerks are family-values hypocrites, no less. Oh, the disgusting irony of it all -- which I, too, from time to time have invested stale space in discussing, as though that thought hadn't already dawned on every conscious, vein-pulsating American.

As for Sanford's once-upon-a-time criticality as a 2012 presidential candidate: does that not justify all the coverage? Hey, we've three more years for yet other hypocritical GOP kingpins to fall, and if we endlessly convulse over each one of them, we'll lose track of what the 2012 race is even about.

The only upside to this psychologically predictable story is that we, as a political society resting on often questionable platforms, are yet one step closer to removing personal morality as an unsteady plank.

Comments

[Kennesaw's Unknown Soldier]

After thirty years of Reagan/Bush Republicans gloating over their successes at others' expense, I understand the desire to stoop to their level for a little payback. But I also hoped that when our turn came, we would be more adult about our celebration of GOP downfalls. I'm sorry to report that my hopes have now gone unmet, and we have demonstrated how we are no better than those who chortled at our expense. We have tossed aside an opportunity to explain in unemotional language why the Republicans and their "family" values are false and hypocritical just so we can point fingers and laugh like our rival juveniles would.