“I spent five days crying in Argentina!”

And so another right-wing warrior, swimming in the detrius of Reaganism, having railed and thundered faithfully for the One True Way is brought down by what we all agree is, if not often the “One” or “True,” certainly the Way. The usual suspects will circle the wagons, doing their demeaning best to spin away while the Governor recites his “I apologize to my family...” minstrel show. Do any of Sanford's staff possess a conscience?

I for one am glad and laughing. This continuing Domino-like collapse of the “family values” crowd should have happened a long time ago, and if this accelerates the implosion, good on it. Personally, I'm sick and tired of living in a country where, depending on which Fourth of July show you're at, people can blather on about “the free and the brave” when their own government even now freely discriminates against its own citizens.

Of course, I'm absolutely sure Sanford will be given the option to resign, rather than be impeached. Though he certainly is guilty of excessive dereliction of duty -- leaving his hurricane-prone state for six days unannounced during hurricane season -- the ability of the GOP to simply “erase” certain events cannot be understated.

Finally, A President

Now that was a speech. If pundits are calling it his “unofficial” State of the Union Address, I’ll be front and center for the real one.

It still feels a bit strange and exhilarating that we now live in a world where the President of the United States can speak clearly, forcefully and eloquently on any number of topics and also walk and chew gum at the same time. Like many of us who were unwillingly dragged across the harsh terrain of Bush’s rough, disgusting “presidency,” I’d forgotten what actual talent, competence and vision sounded like.