S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford really messed things up.
Early this week, he became my leading presidential candidate for 2012 when I heard that he had left Columbia for a few days to walk, escape, even ruminate on the Appalachian Trail.
What more could be asked of a politician?
How many times have we wanted to tell our presidents, congressmen, legislators and councilmen to take a hike? And here was a guy who actually did it.
I envisioned Sanford using his Appalachian Trail getaway as a springboard to a “Take a Hike” campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
He was, lest we forget, the governor who initially told the federal government to take a hike with the stimulus money earmarked for South Carolina.
He could tell tax increases to take a hike, too.
Government bailouts? Take a hike.
The IRS? Take a hike.
Socialized medicine, ditto.
Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, France: Sanford, the people’s candidate, could have told them to all take a hike.
All these dreams for Sanford blew up in my face, of course, with the revelation that he never left Columbia to commune with nature on the Appalachian Trail.
Instead, he flew to Argentina to commune with a woman.
It turns out Jenny Sanford, the governor’s wife, had learned of the affair and beat me to the punch. She already had told her husband to take a hike.
I think Governor Sanford should receive some credit for the don’t-cry-for-me “Evita” reference at his crazy press conference Wednesday. And thank you, Governor, for those steamy e-mails.
But he left me and the rest of America crying, wondering what other presidential wannabe might fit our short attention span and maniacal need for a catch phrase.
You know, “wannabe” rhymes with Huckabee, as in Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and always aspiring presidential candidate, radio and television personality.
I can see it now on bumper stickers across the country.
Take a Huck.
It has possibilities.
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Mark Wineka writes for the Salisbury Post.