Not just a cheat on his wife

In a purely political way, this is more disappointing than his adultery.

If there was one thing you thought Mark Sanford could be faithful to, it was his wallet. Or more specifically, your wallet.

Ken Vogel takes a look at those 600 pages of state travel records South Carolina released, and finds the suddenly sanctimonious Gov. not always walking his philosophical talk -- or in this case, flying high when he promised he'd fly low.

The records detail more than $468,000 worth of state-funded travel for Sanford and show that he routinely billed taxpayers for high-end airline seats, racking up more than $44,000 on business- and first-class tickets. He often stayed in pricey hotels that far exceeded the rates he imposed on other state employees.

On one overseas trip, the state appears to have spent more than $12,000 for the GOP governor’s business-class tickets for a September 2007 trade mission to China, while his aides flew in economy class for airfares as low as $1,900.

Noel Coward once said.

"It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit".

Before all this, Sanford was one politician who had turned the maxim on its head.