Ok Democrats, Answer this one...

Sanford disappeared for 6 days to go to Argentina to be with some woman, he left the job for six days and I'm pretty sure that no one knew where he was. That is not being a responsible governor, Bill is a cheater, but his infidelity did not get in the way of his job. That is the biggest difference between the two. So no, it is not about "honesty issues", its about seeing that there are different circumstances between the two.

What did Sanford do? He got out his Bible and thumped on it talking smack about family values. He also dumped his children on Father's Day so he could got have a roll in the hay with his girlfriend. So as much as I dislike Bill Clinton, he's a lot better of a man than Sanford.

Everyone defending the differences between Democrats in trouble and Sandford seems to be leaning on the "job abandonment" issue and I think you are too easily dismissing how important that difference is. However, I'll give you what I feel is the REAL reason: "People in glass houses should not throw rocks" Sanford at least said he bought heavily into the "family values" section of the Republican ideology. He was one of Clinton's biggest "values" critics and has publicly spoken about moral issues from a position of superiority. Democrats tend to be more open about the whole morality aspect of governance. Therefore when Sanford does this he is going to be attacked by not only the Democrats for his apparent duplicity, but by his own party for breaking the bond he seemed to have with them. You must realize it was the Republican Party that has come down on him so hard. Democrats will jump on the call for his resignation, of course, but not because of his affair. Therefore, anyone who wants to call for his resignation, but not Clinton's, is entirely justified (no honesty issues), but if after all these responders, you still feel that way, you may have some issues: I am coining it Anti-Democrat Paranoia, a fear that any calling themselves "Democrat" or "Liberal" is out to get you or your money and is therefore evil and incapable of rational thought. Reagan's friends in the Moral Majority seemed to have done a good job creating and promoting this mental disease since it still exists nearly 30 years later.

Actually, I am one that thought the entire Clinton issue was ridiculous as well as set up. The issue of adultery in my opinion is a personal issue between the husband and wife. I feel the same with Sanford's situation as well. He messed up in his marriage and it should be between him and his wife. The fact that it becomes a big political issue only serves to distract him from doing his job. In Sanford's case, he did let the affair distract him from doing his job. Also, let's not forget that Sanford was one of ones outspoken on having Clinton removed from office for his indescretions. I believe he owes Clinton an appology on that one.

Can a Republican answer, too? I read some of the discussions in this thread but not all of them. You really can't legitimately compare vanishing without a trace for six days to Clinton having a quicky in the Oval Office...I don't care how hard you try. Sanford abandoned his post...he let down the people who put him in office and who put their trust in him by being unreachable with no one in charge. There is no excuse for that...I don't care who you compare it to.

I think that the problem that people are having with Mark Sanford is the he could not be reached for the days that he was gone. He had his cell phone turned off. He left the state with out any one in charge in his absence. Bill Clinton did not go away anywhere where he could not be reached in a emergency.

If the issue was just that he had an affair, he wouldn't have done anything different from a lot of other pols. It might be easier to criticize him because he was pretty unbending and made a few statements about Clinton's situation. (Nobody feels much sympathy for a santimonious politician.) But I think the big issue here is that the guy disappeared for several days while he was a sitting governor. Clinton was not MIA while president.

Actually the only Democrats with the right to call for Sanford's resignation are the Democrats of South Carolina. The rest of us can give our opinion and say he SHOULD resign or be removed from office, but that doesn't really count, does it? "What did Sanford do that Bill Clinton didn't do?" He LEFT THE COUNTRY several times, possibly using state taxpayers' money, to be with his lover and at least this one time nobody knew how to contact him in case of an emergency or disaster. But that's not even the big difference for me regarding the "personal issue". It's all about hypocrisy, Ted, and I think you know that. A cheater is a cheater is a cheater, I'm not disputing that. The names and exact scenarios are different but cheating is cheating and it SHOULD BE between a husband and wife. Certainly voters have the right to decide for themselves how important fidelity is to them when they cast their votes. What makes the actions of some of these politicians who have cheated worse than others is their righteous indignation when someone else had done it, most notably Bill Clinton. Newt Gingrich called for Clinton's resignation or removal from office while he himself was having an affair with a much younger staffer who is now his wife. John Ensign went after Clinton and David Vitter, the latter being while HE was having an affair with a campaign worker. Now there's Mark Sanford who also has the big "H" pinned on him along with the scarlet "A". However, I guess it's OK to have an "H" as long as one also has an "R", right? Annie

Ted, Govenor Sanford left his state with NO ONE to lead the state. At no point in time was the country ever left with no leader during Clinton's play time. Clinton never left the country to get him some, unlike Gov. Sanford. Explain this one to me Ted: Many on the right are saying that him marraige was over before this; So why did he say that he cheated on his wife? Mr. Sanford also used TAXPAYER dollars to pay for his trips to see his "women". But, if this was a democrat doing this, I know that you would be defending his actions. LMAO.

What did Sanford do that Edwards didn't do. Well, wait. Did Sanford's wife have cancer AND have to suffer the embarrassment of Edwards trying to cover it up and lie about it until real proof came out? All things being equal, Sanford's "affair" was pretty run-of-the-mill! lol The press gets me. When it was Clinton allegedly raping someone (Coulter terminology, forgive me lol), everything was all, "Oh, right-wing smears!" When Edwards was alleged to be having an affair, it took a TABLOID to even cover the dang story! Sanford, on the other hand, brings out the joy and applause from every liberal who can't wait to say, "HAH, HYPOCRITE!" The left cannot hide anymore. Seriously, unless the left is speaking to the left, they haven't a shred of credibility. Calling Sanford a hypocrite makes them all hypocrites. They would never do that to one of their own. I know I'm not a democrat, so I should lay off this and wait for democrats to answer. But it's 3:15am, I'm half buzzed up, and I need the rant! :P

I don't think it has to do with the affair more than the fact that he left the state with no one in charge. Also if you remember when Clinton had his affair Sanford spoke up big time of having Clinton impeached.