Do We Forgive Mary Sanford?

(from http://hellemanworld.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-politics-of-forgiveness.html)

Congratulations to Mark Sanford on winning his seat in the House.  We forgive the former

governor of South Carolina for his Appalachian  trail trip, which was actually a cover for his tryst with his mistress when he disappeared from public view and was in South America.  Progressives are, of course, appalled by this win of someone who left his wife for another woman.  Conservatives point out rightly that Sanford is engaged to the other woman and that she is the love of his life.  We should forgive him.

I know nothing of Sanford's politics.  I don't know if he is a Tea Party Conservative or Centrist Republican.  I do know that winning the seat was no great feat in a district that has voted  Republican for about 30 years.

I also know he did it without money from the National Republican Committee who pulled their funding and a very lukewarm endorsement for the Speaker of the House.  But we should forgive him for his very human indiscretion.  Hey, we forgave Bill Clinton.  True he was impeached but it failed.

There are other politicians we have forgiven, and a few not so much.  We forgave not only Bill Clinton but others as well.  We may forgive General Petraeus although the jury is still out on that one, but it is looking more likely.  No one really ever hated Governor Swartzenegger.  He went back to making movies.  I don't think we forgave Thad Viers for his affair, but he has never really tried to make a comeback.  We did forgive Newt Gingrich for his many indiscretions. I seriously doubt that anyone will ever forgive John Edwards for his affair while his wife was dying, or Anthony Weiner for tweeting graphic pictures, but he has tried.  Generally speaking, though we do tend to forgive our all too human politicians when they try to make a comeback.  I cannot say what we would do for the ones who haven't tried to make a comeback.

Still I have to wonder, given how close Sanford's win is how much forgiveness would we have for Governor Mary Sanford who lied and had an affair with her boy toy in Brazil? How forgiving would be for General Diana Petraeus for her affair while commanding overseas?  Who exactly do we forgive?