Sanford impeachment hearing nixed

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By Ralph Z. Hallow

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford escaped an impeachment hearing Tuesday when House Speaker Bobby Herrel, a fellow Republican, ruled an impeachment resolution was out of order.

The ruling came at the opening of a one-day special legislative session called to take up issues not related to impeachment. Rep. Walt McLeod, a Democrat, objected to the impeachment resolution introduced by Rep. Greg Delleney, a Republican.

"It is pretty clear that nothing the governor has been accused of shows any serious crimes or serious misconduct in office required by the state constitution for impeachment proceedings," Mr. McLeod told The Washington Times.

Mr. McLeod's action emphasized the bipartisan but complicated cast to Mr. Sanford's ongoing tribulations following revelations in June that he misled authorities and the public over his whereabouts while visiting his mistress in Argentina.

He and many other members of both parties aren't enthusiastic about impeachment, but for different reasons. Although a majority in the state House are believed to favor impeaching Mr. Sanford, a two-third vote is required for it to prevail.

Some Republicans such as Mr. Delleney feel Mr. Sanford will be a drag on the GOP slate next year. Mr. Delleney is part of the majority of GOP House members who have asked Mr. Sanford to resign and who favor impeachment.

But a significant minority of Republicans loyal to Mr. Sanford oppose impeachment, as do a number of Democrats, who either don't want to attract more negative publicity to their state or want to keep Mr. Sanford around as a symbol of Republican moral turpitude thereby rallying voters to the Democratic cause in the November 2010 elections.

Although on Tuesday, the Republican speaker ruled in effect that impeachment could be taken up on the first day of the opening of the House session in January, that is likely to happen only if an state Ethics Commission report, expected in two or three weeks, finds "a lot stronger evidence of misconduct," Rep. Joan Brady, a Republican, told The Times.

"Right now, the votes are not there for impeachment, and I don't think the House leadership will put the House through the agony of an impeachment process unless the leadership knows there are enough votes to impeach the governor."

South Carolina has received its share of what Mr. McLeod called negative publicity not only because of Mr. Sanford's actions, but also U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican, shouting the accusation of "You lie" during President Obama's health care speech to Congress in September.