Recent articles and blogs by The State newspaper’s editorial page editor, Brad Warthen, complaining about Governor Mark Sanford’s stand on Congressional bailouts make for some really strange “journalism.”

Governor Sanford has been consistent in his call for a stop to the stupidity of the bailouts.  He said it in the Washington Post on September 26, in the Washington Times on October 29, in a 7 November letter to the Secretary of the Treasury and in The Wall Street Journal on November 15 and December 2.  But what has Warthen’s criticism been?  That Sanford is thumping his chest in a “look at me” campaign and crying wolf (or, as he puts it, “big government!”).

Mr. Warthen doesn’t argue that the Governor’s points are wrong.  Rather, he chides Sanford for being self-righteous and, oddly, brings in an example of a grocery store to illustrate – what, exactly?

When his 23 November column was challenged (ably) by the Governor’s Communications Director, Joel Sawyer, Mr. Warthen took the strange approach of writing about how to edit.  Again, no real counter to the points Mr. Sawyer was making, just a blustering swipe at – what, exactly?

In the column in question, Mr. Warthen refers to one of the Governor’s Wall Street Journal articles, but, as Mr. Sawyer points out, it wasn’t published hard copy so readers would have the advantage of both.  Oh, it was posted on the web!  Well, zippity doo dah!  Mr. Warthen and his increasingly irrelevant newspaper know that most readers aren’t going to run to the Internet and check up on the article.  His was a cheap journalistic trick designed to knife the Governor’s argument while claiming minimal professional protocol.

Clearly, for months Governor Sanford has issued constructive, well thought and, most importantly, necessary debate on a critical national and state subject.  Like those who, two years ago, warned of this crisis but were ignored, Governor Sanford is doing what he was elected to do – use his judgment to analyze a situation and make the tough call.

If Mr. Warthen, The State or any other person or entity want to argue the merits of the bailout based on economic and social realities, fine.  Rather, Mr. Warthen has a hard time staying on message … which is – what, exactly?

This is an excerpt from the latest WSJ piece by Governors Sanford and Rick Perry of Texas:

One fact that’s been continually glossed over in the bailout debate is that Washington doesn’t have money in hand for any of these proposals. Every penny would be borrowed. Estimates for what the government is willing to spend on bailouts and stimulus efforts for this year reach as much as $7.7 trillion according to Bloomberg.com — a full half of the United States’ yearly economic output.

If Mr. Warthen wants to disagree with Governor Sanford about the bailout, he should give us something to counter that.

He gave us one piece of insight, though: “I don’t know whether the federal government should help out the states or not” he wrote in his 23 November column.  Well, that kinda wraps it up, doesn’t it?