海角大神

Give South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford props for doggedness.

Far from heeding mounting calls for his resignation, Governor Sanford on Thursday promised a legal fight should the General Assembly try to rush an impeachment trial by, as he said, 鈥渟hort-circuiting鈥� a state Ethics Committee investigation.

Sanford is known by supporters as frugal and independent, but critics describe him as being out of touch. He objects to a move by House Republicans to use a preliminary investigation into use of a state plane and expensive commercial jet tickets to bolster a looming General Assembly trial. Still, he faces diminishing prospects of being able to win a looming impeachment battle in the state capital in Columbia.

The intraparty fight that started with the governor鈥檚 five-day incommunicado absence to be with an Argentinian mistress in June is now devolving into the very scenario that Republicans feared: an ongoing tragicomic reality TV show that could subsume the urgent business of a state that has, under Sanford鈥檚 leadership and judging by unemployment and economic development, fallen to the bottom of the pack among Sun Belt powers.

For the first time with a lawyer at his side, Sanford said the attempt to bypass a full ethics commission investigation to rush impeachment is 鈥渋llegal.鈥� He said it amounted to a 鈥渒angaroo court鈥� with the jury only able to hear the prosecutor鈥檚 argument, not the defense鈥檚.

While noting that he has supported opening up the entire Ethics Committee proceedings to the public, he added: 鈥淲ithout [radio broadcaster] Paul Harvey鈥檚 鈥榬est of the story,鈥� you get to take the charges, but none of the defense, none of the rest of the story, on the basis on which you decide or don鈥檛 decide to bring impeachment proceedings. That鈥檚 fundamentally not fair.鈥�

Sanford himself has gone back to his base in recent weeks, traveling across South Carolina鈥檚 low country to meet with Rotary clubs and other civic groups. A one-time presidential hopeful, Sanford represents an outside power broker who carries the wishes of the people, not entrenched state politicians, into the business of government. His refusal to take some federal stimulus money 鈥� eventually rebuked by the General Assembly 鈥� put him into the league of populist-style politicians like Sarah Palin in Alaska and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

But despite his recent forays 鈥� from where he reports a 鈥渧ast disconnect鈥� between political agendas in Columbia and what鈥檚 on the mind of 鈥渞eal people鈥� 鈥� Sanford鈥檚 chances of pushing through any type of agenda in his last 16 months look dim.

His political opponents, most of whom say Sanford needs to go in order to restore the public鈥檚 trust in South Carolina government and the state GOP, already have enough signatures in both the House and Senate to successfully impeach him.

A prolonged legal battle with the General Assembly that Sanford is now promising could push the impeachment battle deep into next year鈥檚 legislative session 鈥� the very unraveling that Republicans are now desperately trying to avoid.

Despite Sanford鈥檚 new legal maneuverings, it鈥檚 becoming clear by the sheer number of impeachment supporters coming out of the woodwork that proceedings are imminent 鈥� possibly in a special session called as early as next month.

鈥淭he circus must end,鈥� a prominent Republican lawmaker , which covers the backroom drama of South Carolina politics. 鈥淎nd it will end.鈥�

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