Will Sanford Survive?

Here's a sure sign that the Sanford story may start cooling off: Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer tells The Associated Press in an interview this morning that he doesn't think the governor should resign.

Gov. Mark Sanford is back in Columbia today, with a cabinet meeting scheduled at 12:30.

The State's roundup of resignation calls suggests that Sanford may weather this storm.

But a flood of calls for Sanford's resignation from the state's political class might not materialize because of the impact such a move would have on next year's race to replace him.

"It's (Sanford's) decision to make right now," said former S.C. GOP chairman Katon Dawson, though he said of the camps working behind the scenes, "These are competitors working here."

Few opponents in the Republican field want to give Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer a test run before 2010 to prove himself in a potential field of U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, state Sen. Larry Grooms, state Rep. Nikki Haley, Attorney General Henry McMaster and Furman University political scientist Brent Nelsen.