Sanford Cops to Affair With Argentine Woman

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admitted today that he has been having an affair with an Argentine woman, Politico reports. “I’ve been unfaithful to be my wife,” the Republican said at a teary and rambling news conference in which he explained his mysterious absence. “It began very innocently,” Sanford said. "About a year ago it sparked into something more than that. I have seen her three times since then, during that whole sparking thing. And at that point, we went into serious overdrive in trying to say, 'Where do you go from here?'"

The governor said he had "spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina"’ in an effort to find a resolution, and had concluded that the affair had to end. He said his wife knew about the relationship, and that "they had been working through this thing for about the last 5 months." His recent absence from the capital was first explained as a hiking trip, and then as a solo vacation to Buenos Aires. He says he is resigning as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.  (More Mark Sanford stories.)