South Carolina Governor Sanford dodges impeachment

However, the House judiciary subcommittee did approve a resolution to censure Sanford for secretly leaving the state in June. Rather than go hiking along the Appalachian Trail as he had stated, the Republican governor spent a week in Argentina with the woman he has called his soul mate.

After disclosure of Sanford's extramarital affair, the state ethics commission charged him with more than three dozen alleged violations of using his office for personal gain -- including flying business class instead of coach and traveling to political rallies on state-funded planes.

But the subcommittee voted, 6 to 1, against the impeachment resolution, asserting that the governor's official misdeeds were not sufficiently grave. Instead, the lawmakers voted unanimously for the censure resolution, a draft of which declares that the governor "has breached the public trust of South Carolinians and has lowered their confidence in his ability to be their chief executive."

Both resolutions will be sent to the full Judiciary Committee for consideration. But an unfavorable subcommittee recommendation means the impeachment resolution likely is dead. A vote for censure would have to pass the full House and Senate.