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Pat Conroy on the Sanfords

We had a great hour with Pat Conroy, who was very generous in his interview with Tom.  My favorite moment came late in the hour, when Tom brought up Gov. Mark Sanford and his wife, Jenny Sanford, who's gracing the new issue of Vogue.  Here's the exchange...

TOM ASHBROOK: It sounds almost like Pat Conroy when [Gov. Sanford] gets to the podium lately. What do you make of what we've all watched, with him and his wife, Jenny, and moving to Sullivan's Island there, off Charleston, and all the rest. What do you make of this story?

PAT CONROY: Well, South Carolina's a small state, and I think Gov. Sanford was in my brother Tom's graduating class from high school. And so, you know, I've known the family — I met Gov. Sanford's mother coming out of the doctor's office the other day. And she surprised me by telling me she had a bit part in "The Great Santini," which I had no idea about.

And it's — what it is, is people will tell me I overwrite, I exaggerate — I don't think the South can be exaggerated.

You know, I think, the Sanford thing ... what has struck me as remarkable is his wife, Jenny, has gotten the best reviews of any woman I've ever seen come out of South Carolina, for the way she's acted, and the dignity and restraint, and — but solidness — with which she has treated this in her life.

And so, there you have it. The Sanford Saga, as summed up by Pat Conroy.

This program aired on August 17, 2009. The audio for this program is not available.

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