

Hey, it must be Father’s Day because Mark Sanford has disappeared!

Just like clockwork, the South Carolina governor has vanished again.

Is he “hiking the Appalachian Trail” like last year?

We don’t know. We just know that the governor, who left South Carolina without a trace at this time a year go to meet up with his Argentinian "soul mate," sneaked out of his office again without telling Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

The lieutenant governor, of course, is the one who would take over the affairs of the state when the governor isn’t there.

Just like last year, the governor's staff has some 'splaining to do.

Sanford’s new flak (the old one bailed shortly after the PR fiasco) told the Associated Press he spent Father’s Day with his sons this year (a unique twist). And Monday, he had a case of the Mondays and took the day off.

By the way, "sneaking out" without telling the lieutenant governor is allowable in the Palmetto State. Although Sanford created a major media maelstrom last year because he went to Argentina instead of going to the Appalachian Trail like his office reported, he wasn’t (and isn’t) required to let anyone know.

That’ll change if some in the state Legislature get their way.

South Carolina’s 'The State' newspaper reports that a "bill requiring the governor to notify the lieutenant governor every time he leaves the state is currently stuck in a legislative conference committee."

And for those of you more interested in the seamier side of politics rather than boring legislative proceedings (not us), Sanford is still carrying on with his Argentinian friend, Maria Belen Chapur. The State reports that the two had a romantic getaway in Florida last month.

-- Jimmy Orr

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Photo: Woman fishing on the beach (presumably without Mark Sanford). Credit: Associated Press