Embattled South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford made headlines this summer with his opposition to the federal stimulus touted by President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. Nothing compared, though, to his six-day disappearance to Argentina to visit his self-proclaimed “soul mate,” his lying to his own staff to cover it up, and his bizarre, tearful, rambling press conferences.

Last week, the South Carolina House of Representative’s Judiciary Committee chose to formally censure Sanford for his conduct, but refused to recommend that impeachment proceedings be undertaken. But what has gained even more news coverage is that his wife, Jenny Sanford, formally filed divorce papers. She also appeared for an interview on a Barbara Walters special about the “Ten Most Fascinating People of the Year.” I guess that the wife of a politician who doesn’t stand by her cheating man is such a rarity these days that it qualifies as “fascinating.”

I am from South Carolina and have disagreed politically with the governor since just about forever, but the problems with this situation go way beyond the political.

In our scandal- and gossip-obsessing, reality television-fawning, crane-your-neck-to-see-the-car-accident culture the real issue here has become completely obscured. Yes, he cheated on her. Yes, he was arrogant and self-absorbed. Yes, it is sad that first ladies feel compelled to literally stand next to their man at press conferences while he publicly confesses and begs forgiveness for extramarital affairs and solicitation of prostitutes.  So in that respect, props to Jenny for standing up for herself.

But the real news this week wasn’t that Jenny divorced Mark; rather that the governor abandoned the state for six days—a blatant dereliction of duty—and got away with it.

Abandoning the state and leaving no one in charge? This is too much. I think we would all agree that if any of us skipped work for a week and lied about it we would be fired, and we aren’t employed to lead a state of four million people.

Accountability for politicians has reached a low, but the blame for that doesn’t lie with the philandering Mark Sanford or any other politician, it lies with us. The public focus needs to be shifted from the sensational to the practical. Sanford faltered in fulfilling his constitutional duty to the people, and violated the public trust.

There is a false morality we cling to that allows us to simultaneously condemn a man for a personal transgression that we would probably forgive most friends of, and which has no personal affect on us, while barely discussing his major professional transgression and lack of judgment. Until we begin to at least ask for a little more, we’re going to keep getting nothing but self-absorbed, mediocre politicians.