But Sanford's foray into iniquity has potential repercussions beyond what he and his wife ultimately resolve. He did disappear for several days, five of which he confessed to having spent "crying in Argentina." What is it about that place?

And, there's no nice way to put this, he lied -- by omission if not commission.

He lied by not telling his staff where he was going or how to reach him. He deceived his staff by allowing them to believe and then report to the media that the governor was hiking in the Appalachians. And most important to his political future, he failed to make arrangements for his state's uninterrupted governance.

To his credit, Sanford acknowledged all of these failings, but he seemed less interested in discussing his shirking of executive duty than in making rending statements about the condition of his heart. Not only did we learn Sanford's philosophy of moral absolutes, but we were led through the meaning and purpose of God's laws. The governor even lectured on the definition of sin.

Spiritually, Sanford may have succeeded in checking off several acts of contrition. But politically, he did everything wrong -- invoking religion, apologizing endlessly, and acknowledging friends in a sort of reverse intervention.

Meanwhile, the questions that matter remain essentially unaddressed. Can a governor lie about his whereabouts and leave the country while his state is untended? Were taxpayer funds ever used in the pursuit of his personal gratification? Exactly a year ago, Sanford went on a South Carolina trade and investment trip to Brazil and Argentina. Undoubtedly, that trip's receipts will be closely examined.

If not for Sanford's appalling judgment in disappearing, his personal travails might never have come to public light. That alone suggests that he is a man unmoored from reality and, just possibly, unfit for public office.

Sanford ended his tearful remarks by saying he was committed to getting his heart right. It might serve him better to think about getting his head right.