Melville House Books

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, realizing that he's really, really stupid

Before he proved himself just another politician with his brains in his pants, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford had a deal with Penguin’s conservative imprint Sentinel — and by the way, does any conglomerate press have what they’re calling a liberal imprint? — as Michael Cader reported on Publishers Lunch yesterday … in a story locked behind a firewall. So, as Leon Neyfakh reports in a New York Observer story, “Sentinel publisher Adrian Zackheim is trying to figure out what to do with Within Our Means, ‘a manifesto about fiscal conservatism–why the government needs to spend less and fix the deficit ASAP,’ now that Mr. Sanford is no longer the rising star he was two weeks ago.” One problem that seems to be making it difficult for Zackeim: the catalogue announcing the book has just gone out in the mail. What to do?

Adrian! Oh, Adrian! I can help: You’re not going to do this book. Trust me. It’s so over you’ll look ridiculous if you don’t admit that immediately. Of course, conservatives seem to relish looking ridiculous lately …