south carolina

Allen Abel travels to Sumter, S.C., a place of history and infamy, for the eclipse. ‘Praise Jesus,’ some bellowed at totality, and a father cried.

David Wilkins, who brokered a 2000 compromise deal to put the Confederate flag in a less prominent spot, wants the flag gone

Mark Sanford’s scorned ex-wife Jenny denied, last week, that she had leaked court filings revealing that the former South Carolina governor had trespassed at her home earlier this year. But the politician’s humiliated ex is no dunce; as a political spouse, Jenny would certainly have known that by filing the papers in the midst of a hotly contested campaign they would eventually make it into the press, curtailing Sanford’s comeback attempt. Republicans cut Sanford loose last week; just hours after the papers went public, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was halting spending on his campaign.

On paper, Mitt Romney has the resume to be a legitimate contender for the White House. He’s a successful businessman, an accomplished manager who’s been credited with saving the Salt Lake City Olympics, and a former governor with a signature accomplishment in healthcare reform; all of this makes him among the most qualified aspirants to run for the GOP since Ronald Reagan in 1980. Throw in the fact he’s a devout family man with telegenic looks, and he becomes nothing short of ideal.

The sudden death of Michael Jackson has pushed the saga of the missing governor from South Carolina off the front pages of America’s newspapers. But as the public’s attention drifts away from the pop star’s death, the calls for Mark Sanford’s resignation will once again take on a life of their own.