Dave Weigel and Allahpundit call South Carolina governor Mark Sanford’s ad explaining why he’s rejecting part of the stimulus funds “the first campaign ad of the 2012 cycle,” and I have to disagree. Yes, the style is a bit like a campaign ad — Sanford’s extremely soft-spoken — but it’s not like the governor doesn’t have good reason to take to the airwaves and explain his position, a stance that Democrats want to portray as cruel and heartless.

The other thing is, this ad is only running in South Carolina. And you have to figure that if Sanford were to run, he would have the state wrapped up anyway.