Is Mark Sanford really that dumb or is he just messing with us?

I can't believe someone who has been elected the governor of a state, was considered a major prospect for president in 2012 and was a conservative hero really thought he could get away with that Appalachian Trail stuff. He must have wanted us to know he was having an affair. Nothing else makes sense.

Flying off to Argentina for a fling and then having his staff say he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail was a bit much. He was hiking alright, but it wasn't the kind you do with your boots on.

So a teary-eyed Sanford fessed up this morning. "No, I wasn't hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Yes, I was in Buenos Aires working on my foreign policy with my favorite foreigner. No, I didn't think this through. Yes, I'm ashamed."

He also said, "I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina." And some other things, of course, or it wouldn't have been an affair. He called his lover in Argentina a "dear friend," and I'm glad to hear that.