It is no secret – nor should it be – that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s estranged wife, Jenny, is a very smart woman and the person most responsible for his political career. Better than smart, she’s bright, wise and has a precise understanding of people, issues and values. As long as Jenny Sanford is around, Hillary Clinton ain’t “the smartest woman in America.”

But Miz Jenny is more than brains.  For reasons we all know, she is the most admired woman in South Carolina and certainly at the top of the national list.  Strong, resolute and unashamedly committed to her ideals and religious convictions, she is another in a long list of women that demolishes the notion that women don’t have a place in politics.  As I wrote earlier:

It belittles the women of South Carolina and the voters of the Palmetto State to question if they “will accept a woman chief executive.”

So, here’s a thought.  Will Jenny Sanford get involved in next year’s elections and, if so, for whom and to what extent?  I don’t believe “with what effect” needs to be asked any more than it would be necessary to question the outcome of a duel between Wonder Woman and Pee Wee Herman.

Jenny Sanford is South Carolina’s Wonder Woman and she wields a powerful lasso of truth.  Were she to endorse a candidate, how wise would it be to delve into the personal attacks that have already occurred and are sure to happen again – and more intensely – as the primary and general elections near?

But then, maybe Jenny Sanford has had her fill of South Carolina politics and just wants to be left alone to rear her boys.  That’s a noble pursuit and no one of intellectual substance would fault her for making that choice.

Still, I hope she does jump in.  Maybe South Carolina doesn’t deserve her, but South Carolina could sure use Jenny Sanford.