Here I Am!

(Thanks to DailyKos for the image.)

From the New York Times:

The mystery of the missing governor has taken another plot twist.

A South Carolina newspaper is reporting that Gov. Mark Sanford said he has been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since Thursday, not hiking the Appalachian Trail, as his staff had told reporters.

Mr. Sanford’s staff had been unable to reach him for four days, starting on Thursday, and his wife had told The Associated Press that she did not know his whereabouts on Monday. But a spokesman for the governor told reporters on Monday night that Mr. Sanford had been reached, was hiking an unspecified portion of the Appalachian Trail and would return to the office on Wednesday.

In an interview with The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., Mr. Sanford said he had taken an unplanned trip to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over accepting a portion of the federal stimulus funding.

He had considered hiking the trail, he said. “But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic,” Mr. Sanford told The State. “It’s a great city.”

Well, Governor, let's hope you knocked back a few Quilmes during your super-secret get-away. And thanks for reminding us that you are every bit as bizarre as Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

UPDATE: Now he's giving a press conference and talking about God a lot. Oh, and the Argentine woman with whom he now admits to having an affair...