Gov. Mark Sanford did an about-face on the possibility of his deployment in the Air Force Reserves. He joined the Reserves while he was campaigning for governor, and said if he were elected and activated his duties as governor would prevent him from being deployed.

But he says now that, after much thought and prayer, he will go if called. "Because if you go down the tack that says, well, since I've got greater responsibilities now, I should be absolved of my commitment within the Reserve, then why not the medical doctor? Shouldn't he be absolved of his commitment when the next time of crisis comes for our nation?"

Gov. Sanford would transfer the reins of government to Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

But the governor isn't the only elected official who could be called into action. Spartanburg Sen. John Hawkins is a Captain in the National Guard, serving in the Judge Advocate General corps. Sen. Hawkins says, "As a 17-year veteran of the Army National Guard, I'm very proud of my governor, that he's expressed his willingness to go. I'm ready to go." Rock Hill Sen. Wes Hayes is a Colonel in the National Guard.

Over in the House, Representatives Marty Coates and Jim Harrison are veterans of Operation Desert Storm who could be called to duty. And Rep. James Smith, the House Democratic leader, is a Captain in the National Guard. Most of his unit has already received orders to deploy, but he hasn't.

So how would losing the governor and some state lawmakers to military service affect state government? Rep. Smith says, "I think we'd like to think if any one of us were gone from state government the place would be brought to a screeching halt. But the fact is no one individual up here is so indispensable that state government would end functioning."

Gov. Sanford is confident that, if he were to deploy, it wouldn't hurt him politically. His administrative staff is now in place and would continue to push his agenda, along with Lt. Gov. Bauer. And while it's possible he'll never be called, he says there's a good chance his unit will be deployed by June.

The good news is that he wouldn't be in immediate danger if he were to deploy. His unit is an aeromedical evacuation squadron that picks up wounded soldiers and flies them to hospitals, providing medical care along the way. He says the Air Force keeps the C-17s it uses away from the action, so he wouldn't be near the front lines.