Seizing upon an op-ed piece he co-authored in a Beirut newspaper as evidence of lack of interest in South Carolina, top state Democrats on Wednesday blasted Republican Gov. Mark Sanford as having misplaced priorities.
"Gov. Sanford cares more about Middle Eastern politics than the issues facing South Carolina," said Senate Minority Leader John Land III, D-Manning.
"It's disturbing to see he has a plan for peace in the Middle East, but has no plan to create jobs in our state," Land said in an e-mail statement.
Joel Sawyer, Sanford's spokesman, dismissed Land's comments "as just another partisan attack. This guy is the status quo's best friend. The real news would be if John Land actually offered an idea to move our state forward."
Sawyer said that a few months ago former Defense Secretary William Cohen asked the governor to co-author the article because of Sanford's "unique perspective," developed during his six years in the U.S. House on its International Relations Committee.