Sanford tells conservative Website he's running for Congress, will officially announce Wednesday

Forgive and forget? Sanford says he wants to head back to Washington.

Mark Sanford will officially announce his intentions - and reveal the world's worst kept secret - to run for the 1st Congressional District Wednesday.

Will the public, or at least the voters in the Charleston and surrounding areas, give the former governor and Representative a second chance after his career imploded after a personal scandal? That part will be answered fairly shortly during this special election cycle.

The bigger question is has Sanford really learned as much I think, or at least hope he has.

I've spoken with him several times since that fall and have gotten the sense that he is a humbled man, someone who understands that the way he initially did things as governor simply can't fly any more. I don't expect him to stop warning us about the country's fiscal health, but I hope, if he's elected, that he will go to Washington with a sense of purpose knowing that he can't have everything he wants in divided government, that while he shouldn't compromise his principles, he must find a way to forge compromises within his own caucus and across the aisle to improve things.

If he goes back to Washington and becomes just another member of the S.C. delegation which is steadfast against any and everything that isn't fully to his liking, I'll be surprised. And disappointed.

I've spoken with him several times since that fall and have gotten the sense that he is a humbled man, someone who understands that the way he initially did things as governor simply can't fly any more. I don't expect him to stop warning us about the country's fiscal health, but I hope, if he's elected, that he will go to Washington with a sense of purpose knowing that he can't have everything he wants in divided government, that while he shouldn't compromise his principles, he must find a way to forge compromises within his own caucus and across the aisle to improve things.

If he goes back to Washington and becomes just another member of the S.C. delegation which is steadfast against any and everything that isn't fully to his liking, I'll be surprised. And disappointed.