COLUMBIA--Even before lawmakers began their debate on the state budget, Gov. Mark Sanford called a press conference to outline exactly what he believed they should do.

Spelling out his priorities, the governor said the Legislature should curb new spending, primarily directed at education and raises for law enforcement officers, and dedicate more money to restoring trust funds raided in lean budget years.

From the back of a room full of reporters, the House leadership waited nervously to see what farm animal Sanford would haul out to attack them with this time.

"We wanted to find out first-hand what the dispute was," House Majority Leader Jim Merrill, R-Daniel Island, said. "It is important for us to hear out of the governor's own mouth what he is going to say to the press."

The honeymoon is long over, and many Statehouse observers say the General Assembly and the governor these days are in bad need of marriage counseling.

Lawmakers complain the governor never talks to them directly, choosing instead to govern by press release and issuing mandates via TV news. When Sanford issues a statement to the media, there is often a response from lawmakers, including one recently that, with a note of sarcasm, pointed out the House was in "heated agreement" with the administration.

The dueling press releases have become something of a soap opera, particularly given Sanford's flamboyant style of getting his message across -- carrying a pair of pigs through the Statehouse last year to rail about pork barrel spending and using a horse and buggy last month to criticize the state's 19th century government structure.

In a phone interview Friday, Sanford explained that his is a "transparent personality." He said he says what he means, praises where praise is deserved, and pushes to make as many changes to state government as he can. He said it would be impossible to talk to 170 lawmakers individually before every decision, and uses whatever means he can to get his message out.

The governor said he isn't slick enough to "to say nice things to your face and then stab you in the back."

"It is just direct communication. It's important to say where we agree and where we disagree," the Republican governor said.

That may be, but Sanford's frankness on the television news grates on some lawmakers.

"I find his stunts quite amusing, because I think on some levels we take ourselves too seriously up here," says state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg. "But the leadership is not amused. He plays to the public instead of the General Assembly, and perhaps that's why he's so popular. But I don't think he's going to have much success getting anything done that way."

Perhaps most surprising is that Sanford mostly raises the ire of his own party. The House's Republican leadership in particular has taken offense at the governor's criticism of a lack of action on restructuring after lawmakers had passed as much of it as they felt they could get support for.

"They try to work with him," Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, said. "It looks like he's always fighting the Republican Party even though they do what he asks. They think he's crazy, attacking the folks looking out for his agenda. I think it is part of a master strategy. No one is that inept."

Legislative leadership is slightly more diplomatic.

"I don't think there's any doubt the governor could make it easier on himself by improving his communication skills with the Legislature," Merrill said.

Most times, lawmakers bite their tongues, grumbling and grousing in dark corners of the Statehouse. After the horse-and-buggy affair, however, House Speaker David Wilkins publicly ridiculed the press conference. Wilkins said he preferred to discuss differences over the phone rather than "going to the farm and grabbing the first animal you can get."

Last week, Wilkins said he thought the relationship was "better than it was" and noted Sanford attended a caucus lunch.

"You can get more done when you talk one-on-one with folks," Wilkins, R-Greenville, said. "Ninety percent of everything we do is about relationships. You don't vote against your core beliefs, but the most effective members are the ones who have good relationships."

Sanford's office notes that lawmakers are warned of what's coming. Weeks before the governor's budget press conference, he sent letters saying much the same thing to every lawmaker. The day before the press conference, the governor's staff went over budget issues with the Speaker's office and the Ways and Means committee staff.

Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the House leaders were invited to the press conference. They say they asked to come.

At the heart of this conflict, some lawmakers say, is that Sanford has unrealistic expectations of how quickly the government can be moved, how hard it is even for the party in power to ram major changes through the General Assembly. By constantly beating dead horses -- or hiring live ones -- he marginalizes his bully pulpit.

The state budget was a case in point. Last Tuesday, the House passed its version of the 2005-06 spending bill unanimously -- an unheard of accomplishment in the highly partisan chamber. Democrats say the House Ways and Means Committee and its chairman, Charleston Rep. Bobby Harrell, put together a fair, inclusive budget that was more in line with South Carolina's needs than the governor's spending blueprint.

State Rep. Harry Ott, the House Majority Leader, said the governor is clashing with his own party not so much because of political stunts but philosophical differences.

"It's easy for someone who's always been rich to not understand why some people need help from the government, but I believe the Republican leadership understands this, and the budget reflects it," said Ott, D-St. Matthews. "The governor isn't a Republican, he's a Libertarian and his goal is to eliminate as much of state government as he possibly can."

Sanford said much of the bristling at his style is that it points out what lawmakers are doing to their constituents.

"There are going to be disagreements if you push for change," Sanford says. "I think it's incumbent for the administration to stand up and say where we are in a public setting. It's nothing personal."

Most lawmakers would agree that Sanford is getting a little more savvy in the ways to salve political wounds. Today, he will hold a bill-signing ceremony for changes in the state's tort laws in Wilkins' district, a courtesy the governor's office said is a direct thank-you to the speaker.

No animals are expected to attend.