Why I'm Not Fazed by the Sanford Admission

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to having an affair today. Some folks view this as earth-shattering news, thinking this precludes him from higher office, like Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich. Others express disappointment and sadness. My thoughts? I wrote them several months ago:

I’ve been disappointed by most politicians. Perhaps that is because I’ve put too much stock in them in the past, and they never live up to the hype. The reality is that politicians are human, and humans are flawed. To borrow from my favorite movie of all time, Braveheart, “All men betray, all lose heart.” Or, as James Madison writes, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

Focusing solely on winning elections is a waste of energy. Too often we expect to elect heroes to office; men and women who, unlike the rest of us, will put aside their own self-interest and act for the public good. I have friends who believe if we would just elect a few good people to office, everything would change. I’ve met others who spent most of their time fighting for “the lesser of two evils,” and some who hope we elect a great villain in order to bring about a great hero. But I have come to realize that we cannot depend on great men to reform a corrupt system or to scale back a government that has grown far beyond its purpose.

We should not put too much faith in any politician to transform our political culture. Whether it’s Obama’s message of hope and change, McCain’s image as a maverick, the mythical inerrancy of Reagan, FDR, Lincoln, or Jefferson, or even the Benefield for President campaign, the reality will always disappoint. Politics forces the greatest statesmen to make promises they can’t keep, compromise on their principles, and do things to win elections that they wouldn’t otherwise. You can’t put flawed men into a flawed system and expect anything but flawed results.

But it is not the fault of politicians. If you want to know who is to blame, look in the mirror. We have enabled this culture of celebrity to take over our system of government. We donate far more to politicians than to political causes or advocates. The media covers politics like a horse race without engaging in the debate over ideas—and we soak it up. We closely follow polls and the personal lives of candidates, but ignore the fundamental debates about good public policy.