For some unexplained reason, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) is on a media tour — “climbing out of my cocoon,” he says.

He’s got no book to promote but in the past two weeks, he has “appeared on a few political talk shows and given several media interviews, saying repeatedly he is deeply troubled by the spending trajectory of the United States, an anxiety he cites as the impetus for his decision to speak out once more.”

That said, Sanford admits to ABC News he’s all but finished as a candidate for political office.

Said Sanford: “So much has been damaged and destroyed through what I did. My dad taught me to never say never, but I can’t really see a way back as a candidate given my warts. I think what I can do is have an influence on ideas, on the conversation. Anyone who has ever failed, your prayer is for a second chance, for the ability to use your talents even if it’s in a more limited way.”
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire