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South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who had gone missing for several days over the past week, admitted today that he has been having an affair with a woman he met in Argentina eight years ago.

Sanford had told his staff that he was taking a few days off, and strongly implied that he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail. His wife told reporters that Sanford often disappears like this, and she was not concerned. In reality, she learned about five months ago that he was having an affair, and she knew that he was actually in Argentina this past weekend.

"What I did was wrong. Period," he told reporters in a hastily-called press conference, in which he also resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "This was selfish."

Sanford was remarkably candid with reporters today, explaining how the two met, and how he grew close to her.

When he met the woman, she was separated, and the two had a deep conversation about why she should get back with her husband. "Not only was it God's law, but ultimately her two boys would be better for it," he said.

At the end of the conversation, they exchanged e-mail addresses. Over the years, they became very close, sharing personal details of their lives and asking for advice.

"When you live in the zone of politics, you can't ever let your guard down," Sanford explained. "It could be a front page story."

Because the woman lived thousands of miles away, Sanford felt a "zone of protectiveness." The two developed a "remarkable friendship," that "sparked into something more than that" about a year ago. He had seen her three times since then.

This illicit relationship was the first and only time he's been unfaithful to his wife, he told reporters.

His wife learned of the affair five months ago, Sanford said. At that point, he tried to figure out what to do next.

"I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina, so I could repeat it when I came back here," Sanford said. "From a heart level, it was something real."