Take No Prisoners: Jenny Sanford Sad Over Loss Of Inmate Assistance

Last night, South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford, appearing on the Daily Show to plug her book Staying True, made Jon Stewart awfully uncomfortable. And he said so.

Sanford seemed nervous and couldn’t stop chatting cheerily about how beautifully the inmates working at the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia maintained the appearance of her garden and her dogs. Memo re: future media appearances: A well-off white Southern lady isn’t going to gain much with the audience by complaining about the loss of her unpaid help, however charmingly she imitates their funny accents.

Stewart tried to steer the conversation away, only to reach even more awkward territory: how Sanford’s sons might feel about her book and subsequent interviews about her husband’s infidelity. “I’m uncomfortable… with all of this,” he blurted, but then tried to encourage her to run for governor. Sanford’s reply that she would govern the family seemed like a safe bet — til she appeared to trash her teenage sons.