Mark Sanford joins the Grand old Philanderers

At least Governor Mark Sanford has raised the aesthetic timbre of adultery as conducted by American politicians of both major parties. Hardened to tacky disclosures about hookers (frequented by Senator Vitter of Louisiana and Gov Spitzer of New York), hot staffers (exploited by Senator Ensign of Nevada), cruisers of airport lavatories (Senator Craig of Idaho), Americans have emerged from this darkness into the soaring prose of the Abelard of South Carolina, bathed in the afterglow of an encounter last year with his Argentinian flame:

Tuesday, July 8. 1:42 a.m. "Got back an hour ago to civilisation and am now in Columbia [the state capital of South Carolina] after what was for me a glorious break from reality down at the farm."

Then follows Sanford's imperishable paean to basic American values: "I went out and ran the excavator with lights until the sun came up. To me… there is something wonderful about listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditioner running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, the tranquillity that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and marsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds - and getting to build something with each scoop of dirt."

July 10. 12:24 a.m. "I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night's light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details... Despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul."

The emails were forwarded anonymously last December to the State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper, which sat on them for several months. December 2008 is about the time Sanford's wife Jenny discovered the affair. It seems fair to speculate that Mrs Sanford just might have been trolling through her husband's emails and in the fury of irrefutable discovery, went straight to the 'forward' button. Then, somewhere along the line in her circle of friends, the package went off to the State.

Sanford solemnly pledged he would do penance and reform, then hurried off to book his ticket to Buenos Aires

Maria Belen Chapur, identified by the Argentinian press as Sanford's flame, is no piece of trailer trash either, but a corporate executive of a large agricultural conglomerate who speaks four languages including Chinese.

Jenny Sanford tried to exercise what she has called the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job, seeking strength in the Good Book, but some time in early June she probably came across another sizzling email exchange or simply wearied of talking to a love-smitten zombie because she told Sanford that, for the sake of dignity and their four children, she wanted a "trial separation" with "the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage".

This is no doubt when Sanford solemnly pledged he would do penance and reform, then hurried to book his ticket to Buenos Aires, telling his staff he was going for a hike on the Appalachian trail, a phrase that has entered the world’s treasury.

Politically Sanford's a goner. South Carolina is the buckle of the bible belt and in the past he’s been profuse with denunciations of politicians who have strayed, starting with Bill Clinton. He also did some irksome grandstanding earlier this year, rejecting that portion of Obama's