The first line of this report from the South Carolina’s The State newspaper is pretty stark:
Gov. Mark Sanford had no defenders when South Carolina House Republicans discussed his fate Saturday at an annual retreat.
Some of the lawmakers want to impeach the governor right away, or ask en masse for his resignation. They cite not just Sanford’s now-legendary 5-day Argentinian romp earlier this summer, during which he failed to transfer power to his number 2, but also his lavish use of state planes and other resources, which has emerged since then.
Others, including House Speaker Bobby Harrell, argued that they should wait for a state ethics report to be completed before acting. That may take a few months.
But no one stood up in support of the one-time 2012 presidential contender.
It’s looking more and more like a question of when, not if, Sanford leaves office in disgrace.