"I have to say I'm getting increasingly impatient with The Wronged Wives Club," Brown says. "The men they're married to are utter snakes and worms, but these women — they do buy into this stuff, and then they are so humorless about it at the end. Jenny Sanford's book is such a pious document. At some point, I really wish one of these women would begin their book and say, 'I am writing this book out of sweet revenge; my husband was a total worm, and this is payback time.' It would be a little more honest."
Instead, Brown complains, political spouses often retreat to platitudes: 'You know, 'I'm doing this for the children,' " or some such. "It is all nonsense. It is about one of two things: money or revenge. Very often both."
via www.npr.org - Tina Brown's Must-Click List: Bad Things Edition
I would have been satisfied with my 140 characters on the matter, but since Brown expanded on it so well and coupled with Sanford's on The Daily Show (which I had not seen before that status/tweet), it seemed that it deserved a post of its own. (BTW, all references to Sanford are Jenny, not her husband)
I should add that I do (or, at least, did) respect Sanford for not doing the dog-and-pony "stand by your man" press-conference show and moving out on the bum, even though I felt it was a sad commentary that this action, at least in the political world, is considered "going rogue."
Ok, back to the respect being in the past tense, as my cynical side now thinks Sanford staying out of the initial media spotlight was a calculated move to only fuel interest in her and masterfully played with a first public appearance as one of Barbara Walters' "most fascinating people" of last year, with little doubt the book deal already in place. Can a TV movie be far behind?
Again, my main criticism of Sanford (and this "Club") is my original quip which Brown nicely, and eloquently, expanded upon. But I can not not say something about Sanford's strange and squirming-ly uncomfortable (but delicious) appearance on The Daily Show. She got in some well-earned digs and jaw-dropper digs vs. her husband. But there's something a bit odd about her. I'm hoping it's just that she has a very (very!) dry sense of humor, but I was not totally sure. In an odd turn, she spoke of missing some of the perks of being South Carolina's First Lady noting that her dogs were bathed and gardens tended by prison inmates. I was kind of waiting for her to say "black" inmates as this particular discussion had the subtext of a fondly recalling days on the plantation. But it almost seemed like she didn't get it when Jon Stewart chimed in something to the effect "You know they don't have choice."
Sanford's journey that seem to begin so refreshingly on "the road not taken" has instead ventured onto "politics as usual" highway.
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