The Rhetoric of Apology - Blog Post 1

Incident: Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina and a rumored presidential candidate for the 2012 elections, admits to and apologizes for an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman. In addition, he misinforms the public, including his wife, of his whereabouts for six days in June 2009. Upon his return, he tells the press that he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail" when he was actually in Argentina with a woman he had been friends with for some time. On top of that, the trips he took to visit the Argentine woman were paid for by taxpayers of South Carolina. He was eventually charged with 37 violations by the State Ethics Commission, including 18 instances when he flew first or business class instead of third class, nine improper uses of state aircraft, and 10 counts of using campaign money for personal or nonbusiness expenses.

Video of his apology to the public.

The majority of the public agree that his first attempt at an apology was ineffective. He merely provided lame excuses and explanations of his wrongdoing in a wordy, unorganized matter.

Opinion - Leadership in South Carolina
Sanford Sex Scandal Grows: Did Governor Use Tax Money to Finance Affair?