South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford returned to the United States on Wednesday from a secret trip to Argentina, ending days of speculation about his location and raising questions about his judgment. When media reported Sanford's location was unknown since last Thursday and that even his wife did not know where he was, his aides said he was hiking in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. During his absence, some South Carolina politicians accused Sanford of neglecting his responsibility for state affairs by leaving without giving details of where he was going and remaining out of contact. Sanford is the chairman of the Republican Governors' Association and a prominent conservative who has been called a possible Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election.
