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On a more positive note, the phrase "Hiking the trail" could take on a whole new life as a euphemism. But that's me, Mr. Glass-is-half-full...

Mark Twain (if he is indeed the source) had it right, lo those many years ago - "Politicians and diapers should be changed often and for the same reason." While I will normally and happily bash the collective media for their complete and abject abandonment of all journalistic principle and responsibility, what an elected Governor does on the people's time using the people's technology is the people's business, unseemly as it may be. Assuming the emails were sent using his official email addy, the newspaper is on solid ground to publish the content, unseemly as it may be.

Well...some of our most celebrated early 20th century American writers (Sinclair Lewis, Jacob Riis, Nellie Bly, etc.) were muckrakers. In its purest form, muckraking would lead to the very reform you originally seemed to be seeking - through the at times uncomfortable shedding of a very bright light on the illicit and very likely illegal activities of said office holder, reporting on said activities with any and all valid and supporting evidence with the intent of removing him from the Governorship of South Carolina and restoring the office to one of integrity, honor and leadership. Unfortunately, what was once muckraking has devolved into sensationalism (now you've gotten me started...) and 'gotcha' stories. In this case, it sounds as if the formerly-Honorable Gov. Sanford 'got' himself and facts are now being brought to light. Some unseemly and embarrassing facts, to be sure, yet still pertinent and central to story. Stories, such as this, of such acts of hubris are all too uncommon and have left us with all sorts of imagery and colloquialisms - high horses, seeking the limelight, pride going before a fall, etc. To me, those who wield their values and issues as a weapon of divisiveness, should not be surprised when they have them used against them at some point when their power wanes. It occurs to me if the poor children and family members have a complaint, it would be with their father and not with the newspaper.

Somewhere between not killing the messenger for delivering bad news and the sensationalistic freak show that passes for journalism these days, lies a nirvana where information is balanced with discretion. Definitely not in play here.