This is to let you know I can do like the BIG-time folks at the NYT. I can cite anonymous sources, too.

One of the problems with publicly criticizing a Republican governor is that, even when most Republicans in a position to work with him agree with you, they generally don’t say so. You know, the "11th commandment" and all. (Note that I’m not counting Jake Knotts, as he is what you might call an iconoclast in this regard.) And even most Democrats are relatively discreet in criticizing a governor who remains popular (among the voters, who don’t actually have to deal with him).

So you get these very encouraging attaboys from veteran State House hands, such as this one yesterday (note that both of these are shorn of identifying details):

    Between you and me (please), your entry yesterday on Sanford was, sadly, right on the money….
    Interestingly, there are more than a couple folks I know who’d like to see Sanford on the national ticket only because it would get him out of S.C.  Personally, I love the country too much to pull for something like that.

Then, today, there was this one, which went into greater detail (some of it now excised):

    It occurs to me that while there is certainly so much blame to be shared (politics being what it is) I truly do weep for our state and the years we’ve lost in missed opportunity.  The promise of Mark Sanford and true progress was so great.  But as we discovered in short order in dealing with the man — there is truly nothing legislatively you can deliver that he truly wants.  He won’t take "yes" for an answer.  As soon as you give him what he says he wants — he changes his requirements, moves the goal post.  There was no such thing as a "deal" or a "commitment."  For Mark Sanford, the worst thing is to be seen as actually getting along, compromising, and passing meaningful legislation.  That would – in effect — make him an "insider".  So success for him is in fact, measured in failure — by NOT passing anything, by making sure he is always at odds, always causing bitterness and angst and then casting everyone else as the "bad guy."  The fact that voters apparently approve is a testament to his success and speaks volumes to how far we have to travel. 
    I do, however, take great issue with your take on the SC Policy Council — especially now with Ashley Landess serving as president.  She is smart and savvy and dedicated to responsible, efficient gov’t.  She is currently involved in the bi-partisan ONE Campaign for Africa and was passionately involved in the fight against video poker and the lottery and is now a brilliant appointee on the lottery commission who has made some incredibly wise moves that have held the commission’s feet to the fire and made it keep to the spirit of the Legislature’s original intent regarding limited advertising, etc., etc.  She is a conservative for sure but she is not a Mark Sanford – destroy gov’t libertarian — by any stretch of the imagination.
    And like you, I was devastated when I read of Mark’s most recent shortsighted and completely destructive move to try and abolish the endowed chairs program (it’s so unbelievable reckless for a guy who claims to care about our economy and says he wants us to be competitive I can barely breath when I write this.)  Anyway, my suggestion would be for groups like the SCPC who truly do care about responsible gov’t to work with the private sector to make sure the Gen Assbly uses the endowed chairs funds responsibly so slash-and-burn politicians like Mark Sanford who — as you so eloquently pointed out — care only about the prosperity of his own family — can’t destroy one of the single best examples of sound, forward-thinking fiscal policy we have in our state.

Now let me hasten to add that I’ve received a couple of much longer, more detailed messages defending the governor, and I’m waiting for permission to use those WITH attribution. Soon as I hear back, you’ll see them here.