Buenos Aires Herald- Missing US governor addmitted he was in Argentina visiting loverSouth Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who was missing since last Thursday, returned to the United States today from a secret private trip to Argentina, ending days of speculation over his whereabouts and raising questions about his judgment.
Sanford said "I wanted to do something exotic ... to get out of the bubble I am in" adding he had travelled alone, but afterwards confirmed that he went to Argentina to visit his Argentine lover.
Sanford is the chairman of the Republican Governors' Association and a prominent fiscal conservative who has been talked about as a potential Republican candidate for the 2012 US presidential election.
When media reported Sanford's whereabouts were unknown since last Thursday and that even his wife did not know where he was, his aides said he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in the eastern United States to get away for a break after a tough state legislative session.
This information was later denied by Sanford when he arrived to the Hartsfield-Jackson international airport in South Carolina, who told reporters for The State, South Carolina's biggest newspaper, he had decided at the last minute to go to Argentina and drive along its coastline.
The chairman said he considered travelling to the Appalachian Trail, but he decided to "do something exotic" and go to Buenos Aires, "which is a great city".
During his absence, some South Carolina politicians accused him of abdicating responsibility for state affairs by leaving without giving details of where he was going and remaining out of contact.
Sanford gained prominence this year by opposing Democratic President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill and rejecting $700 million of South Carolina's portion of the funds on grounds that the law was reckless and would undermine the state's fiscal stability.
The state's Supreme Court ruled this month that the federal cash must be accepted.
Interest in Sanford's mystery absence will blow over in the short term but could hurt him if he has his eye on the White House, said Robert Oldendick, professor of political science at the University of South Carolina.
"He has gotten publicity as a true conservative spokesman who was ideologically driven to resist the stimulus money with an eye on the presidency in 2012," said Oldendick.
"If he disappeared ... without telling staff or his family, then that raises a question of 'Is this the type of person we want with the responsibility for being in charge of nuclear weapons or in crisis situations?'"
Last week, Senator John Ensign, another potential Republican presidential contender in 2012, announced he had an affair with a woman who was a close family friend and resigned his position as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.
The eastern seaboard state of South Carolina has a population of 4 million.
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