So it was odd to see the statement this morning from Rep. Mark Souder, the “family-values” Republican from Indiana found today to be not as committed to his family as he’d have us believe.

It’s not that he doesn’t start well:

It has been a privilege to be a part of the battle for freedom and the values we share.

But then he immediately moves on to imply that the strains of the job — and the sacrifices he’s made for his constituents — led him astray.

It has been all consuming for me to do this job well, especially in a district with costly, competitive elections every two years.

I do not have any sort of “normal” life — for family, for friends, for church, for community.

That’s followed by a brief shift back to humble-servant mode:

To serve has been a blessing and a responsibility given from God.

I wish I could have been a better example.

I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff.

But then he’s back to blaming external factors for the position he’s put himself in:

In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain.

I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process.

Diane and my family were more than willing to stand here with me.

Finally, he accepts responsibility:

But the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility …

I am so ashamed to have hurt those I love.

But that’s followed by the claim that his resignation is a heroic gesture designed to salvage the policies he advocated in Congress.

By stepping aside, my mistake cannot be used as a political football in a partisan attempt to undermine the cause for which I have labored all my adult life.

If there’s a message in all of this contradiction, he doesn’t make it easy to glean.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is admitting more encounters with his Argentine mistress than he previously has disclosed.

In a lengthy, emotional interview with The Associated Press, the governor described seven meetings with the woman, including their first in 2001. Sanford says there have been five over a 12-month period, including two multi-night stays with her in New York.

You get one chance to reveal everything, and Sanford missed it.

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Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), for example, told Fox News this morning that he’s “disappointed” in Sanford, but he’s not ready to ask to governor to resign, arguing that his capacity to govern hinges largely on the health of his marriage.

I’m not sure where he is in his personal life with his wife. And that does have a lot to do whether or not he should continue. South Carolina needs some strong leadership right now, so if he’s not together … We need to do what’s best for our state, and we are looking at that right now.

DeMint, of course, had urged former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) to step down after his arrest for lewd conduct in an airport men’s room. Heterosexual flings, it seems, don’t threaten family values quite so much.

In a drawn-out press conference that began with a long series of apologies and repeated references to his friend Tom Davis, Sanford finally came to “the bottom line” when he said, “I’ve been unfaithful to my wife.” His mistress is an old friend with whom he began a relationship a year ago, he said.

The revelation comes on the heels of a similar admission by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who, like Sanford, has been mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential candidate.

Sanford’s wife and children were not present at the conference.

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