Sanford Spiritual Advisor Says Gov. Was Caught Off Guard by "the Power of Darkness"

Uh huh. The devil made him do it.

In an interview with The Associated Press this weekend at his Columbia office, just blocks from the State House, [friend and spiritual advisor Warren "Cubby"] Culbertson said he believed his friend when he said that this was his only marital transgression. He thinks Sanford was simply caught off guard by "the power of darkness."

Culbertson also thinks that the only thing holding his friends' marriage together right now is "their vow to God."

"Because it's not feelings — it's not emotions," Culbertson said, the smile fading from his tanned face. "For most Christians, at some point in your marriage, if you're married long enough, you do it because that's what we're called to do — out of obedience instead of out of passion. And I think that's where Mark and Jenny are right now."

That's just sad, but this next part strikes me as creepy -- and a great way to shift the blame.

"God hates lawlessness and is tireless in His desire to dissuade man from his fascination with lawlessness," reads a paper titled "Cubby's Talks." "Our hearts are lions' dens of devouring lusts. Lawlessness torments righteous souls every day."

Really? Every day? Seems to me that only happens if you define almost every thought or impulse as "sinful" and yourself as too weak and childish to take any responsibility for your own actions. Maybe it's lack of self-esteem on my part, but I've never imagined that the devil was devoting all his time trying to knock me off the straight and narrow. Then again, I don't consider myself particularly righteous, so maybe he just can't be bothered.

During his 18-minute mea culpa, the governor made numerous references to "God's law" and the sin of self. They were straight out of "Cubby's Talks" and the CDs the Culbertsons used in their "boot camp."

When Sanford cited the example of King David's infidelity and fall during a meeting with his cabinet on Friday, he was also drawing on the Culbertsons' sessions.

"One of the quotes we use in our couples course is, 'You can choose your sins, but you can't choose your consequences,"' Culbertson said. "We used to use David as an example of that. Mark may be the 2009 version of a good example.

"Mark knew what David knew."

Seems to me Sanford is doing his best to choose his consequences. He has, thus far, refused to resign from office despite abandoning his post for five days without telling anyone how to reach him or handing over temporary authority to the Lieutenant Governor. He's hanging on to the gravy train of his wife's family money and expecting her to hang with him, despite announcing to the world that he's "crossed the line" with other women and that his mistress is his "soul mate".

Honestly, I'm with Josh Marshall -- if Maria Belen Chapur really is Sanford's soul mate, he should save his family a lot more grief, get a quiet divorce, and go be with her. But if he really, really wants to stick it out and try to salvage his marriage, he needs to STFU.

via Pam