GOV. MARK SANFORD - SAINT AND SINNER

It is not surprising to learn that Gov. Sanford is a sinner. Aren't we all! What is intriguing is how people in the USA, and especially in media, are so fixed on sexual infidelity. Sacred writings from a variety of religious traditions list all sorts of sins human beings can be tempted into. Politicians can lie practically every time they move their lips, and get no reaction from most people. Some sectors of the press employ truth squads who use accuracy monitoring, but these come off as entertainment. The mention of sex sets us off. Sex of course, is a topic that's easy to exploit. When the focus is on genitalia, what else is there to speak and write about? Most people are not even bothered by the fact that Sanford is a hypocrite, another sin. That he called for former President Clinton's impeachment over the Monica Lewinsky scandal gets scant coverage in some media. But as a society, and as religious people we obsess on sex. Americans ought to get used to the fact that the people who lead this country are both saints and sinners, and often on the same day. Gov. Sanford shares the same moral geography as all Americans. He is capable of great good on his best day, and can morally slip by the end of the same day. Sanford has confessed. The hope is, at last, he will use his remaining days as governor to fulfill the contract with the people of South Carolina that he holds.