The American Conservative Union has declared Gov. Mark Sanford to be “America’s most conservative governor.”

In a column on the organization’s Conservative Battleline Online Web site, editor Donald Devine gushes about Sanford’s fiscal discipline and commitment to Reaganesque values of limited government spending.

The Buzz just loves it when national groups write about South Carolina folk — especially when they get so much information not quite right.

Consider that, in his article, Devine says Sanford:

• “Disbanded his security detail.” SLED agents who protect Sanford have been with him since the beginning.

• “Adopted the first executive branch budget in the state’s history ... rather than leaving decisions solely to the Legislature as had all earlier governors.”

State law requires the governor to submit an executive budget to the Legislature every year. Every governor does this. It is true that Sanford’s first executive budget, submitted this year, was more detailed and complete than any in recent memory.

• “Faced a $155 million deficit from his predecessor the day he entered office” and that he “engineered passage of a ‘Fiscal Discipline Act’ through a hostile Legislature.”

The Legislature was as much responsible for that $155 million deficit as Sanford’s predecessor, Democrat Jim Hodges. And calling the Legislature “hostile,” considering Sanford’s Republican Party is in charge, is a bit of a stretch. Republican leaders — in the House, especially — were committed to paying off that deficit and did so in the state budget.

• “Rather than having one state agency rent cars to another, (Sanford) sold 6,000 cars, using more cost-effective private rental agencies and saving the state $33.8 million.”

A plan to sell those cars did become law this year, but no sale has taken place. The $33.8 million in savings is merely an estimate and has not been realized.

Efforts to reach Devine, the author of the piece, were unsuccessful. Sanford spokesman Will Folks said the governor’s office had nothing to do with the piece and that Devine did not ask them for any information.

Devine did get several things correct in the piece. He praises Sanford for forming a state version of Reagan’s Grace Commission to find ways to limit government waste.

He also correctly says Sanford brought the Department of Motor Vehicles under the governor’s office umbrella and that wait times at the DMV have been substantially reduced.

FRITZ HEARS A WHO

Was that an owl on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday?

No, it was U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., making a speech on Wednesday about trial lawyers and trade with China, among other things.

The China portion of his remarks happened to stir his memory of a Chinese official — whose name Hollings said he believed was pronounced “Hoo.”

Hollings paused for a minute.

“Hoo!” he repeated, obviously enjoying the opportunity to “Hoo!” on national television — well, C-SPAN.

So he said it again, with a higher pitch this time.

“Hoo!”

And then again.

“Hoo!”

The Buzz chalks it up to the prerogative of a soon-to-be-retired, 38-year Senate veteran.