SC Gov. Sanford Calls McCain Running-Mate Speculation “Somewhat Surreal”

Says If Lighting Strike Comes, He’ll Figure it Out When He Gets There

During Interview Airing Thurs. Feb. 21 on ETV’s “The Big Picture” at 7:30 p.m.

Columbia SC…During the taping of an interview that will air on ETV’s news and public affairs program “The Big Picture,” on Thursday, SC Governor Mark Sanford variously characterized talk that he might be tapped for the GOP veep position as “somewhat surreal,” “flattering” and “not something that he is losing a lot of sleep over.”

When asked by ETV’s Andrew Gobeil to comment about recent talk on national television shows such that he might get the nod from McCain, in part because of his cheerful demeanor, Sanford said that no one from the McCain campaign has spoken to him about that as yet, and began his comments by alluding to relationship with the SC legislature.

“You know, demeanor is always in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “You have some folks upstairs (the SC legislature)-they might have a different take on demeanor…

“It’s somewhat surreal-it’s flattering, it’s kind. And it’s not something I’m losing a whole lot of sleep over. I think that we have an incredibly busy job at hand. We (he and wife Jenny) have four boys that are keeping us awfully busy there around the dinner table at night. If something like that comes, it’s a lightning strike and you worry about (it) when it gets there. But there aren’t a lot of lightning strikes this time of year-they generally come around summer. So, it’s just not something that’s on my radar screen.”

Sanford went on to say that yesterday he had had a conversation with a friend from college who lives in Florida. “He had seen some show and called me,” Sanford disclosed. “And I said it’s sort of surreal because it’s not where I think there’s any chance of me going. It’s not where I think that I’m moving in that direction, or anything like that. So, it’s pleasant-an interesting conversation-but you leave it alone for what it is, and you stay focused on the job at hand. If a lightning strike comes, you figure it out when you get there.”

ETV is the public television network in South Carolina.

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