And I thought I had a lousy Father’s Day!

Watching the breaking story of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who admitted this afternoon that he was not hiking the Appalachian Trail this weekend as his aides had maintained but had in fact spent five days in the arms of his mistress in Argentina, I can’t help but wonder what it is about politicians and extramarital activities. Having been married a few times, I am more forgiving than some of marital mishaps — but look at the recent record of high-profile pols and their meltdowns:

Ensign, Foley, Craig, Edwards, Newsom, Spitzer, Patterson, McGreevey — and if you want to get in the Wayback Machine with me we can name-check Clinton and Gingrich while we’re at it. You can blame the pressure of running for office (and unfortunately, most professional politicians never stop running, especially when they have the job) and the sad notion that they are supposed to be family exemplars. Maybe it comes from trying to suppress all those other desires in pursuit of the big desire of being the king of whatever asteroid they aspire to rule. Or maybe it’s the bleach they use on their teeth. 

Sanford is already getting high marks for not dragging his wife out onto the public confessional with him, a political ritual that should really go the way of the pillory. Instead he got to humiliate himself alone, with a chorus of giggling teenagers behind him, a circle of hell even Dante could not foresee. Oh, what would the loved ones say?