(Columbia) June 10, 2005 - An apology Friday night for a song making fun of Governor Mark Sanford.
    
Michael Covington is a deputy director at the Department of Transportation and he helped write and produce the song. It was handed out at a lobbyists' party. Covington says he produced about two dozen CDs of the tune titled the "Spelling Song." The song describes what each letter of Sanford's name stands for. The song says that the N stands for naive proposals while the R stands for Sanford's rich wife among other unflattering analogies.

The governor said Thursday he had not heard the song and that he expects to take shots in his role, "The key is not to be deterred in pushing toward ideas that we think have the chance to better people's incomes and lives in South Carolina and despite songs, despite parodies, despite whatever else."

Director Elizabeth Mabry wrote a letter to Sanford apologizing for any embarrassment or distress caused by the song. Mabry says the governor's office deserves great respect. Covington has also given a letter of apology to the governor's office.

Mabry wrote a separate letter of apology to the governor's wife, Jenny Sanford.

Updated 7:01pm by BrettWitt with AP