Mark Sanford’s Former Speechwriter Lays Bare His Ex-Boss

Barton Swaim had 'huge admiration' for former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford prior to joining his staff and long before Sanford’s epic meltdown over his so-called Argentina affair. And as Swaim recounts in his new book 'The Speechwriter', the majority of South Carolinians shared his esteem for Sanford. 'We in South Carolina thought he was extremely bright, articulate in his own way, but interesting in a way that a lot of politicians are not,' said Swaim, who wrote speeches and letters for Sanford, now a U.S. Representative from South Carolina’s 1st district. 'And he had a lot of the conservative views on fiscal policy and finances that a lot of people in South Carolina appreciate.' Swaim served on Sanford’s staff from 2007 to 2010. He was on Sanford’s team in June 2009 when the governor told reporters that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while the married-with-kids politician was actually visiting his mistress Maria Belen Chapur in Argentina.