One would think that, after South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s shenanigans in South America, politicians would know to stay away. Not Gov. Sonny Perdue.

From Perdue’s press office:

Governor Sonny Perdue will lead a delegation of Georgia’s economic development officials next week to explore trade and tourism opportunities in Uruguay and Argentina. The Governor will participate in a full schedule of meetings and in-country visits beginning with the delegation’s arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 20, with the mission concluding June 23.

The watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington named Sonny Perdue one of its 11 most corrupt governors today.

CREW cited the following, shall we say, lapses in judgement:

• Exploiting loopholes in his own executive order to accept valuable gifts from lobbyists, including a $2.400 plane ride to a NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• Illegally accepting $22,000 in campaign contributions from his wife’s company.

• Striking a convoluted deal to buy Florida land from a political supporter to take advantage of a federal tax break, then signed a similar state tax break into law and reaped the benefit.

• Squashing a consumer investigation into Bill Heard Enterprises, the Columbus Chevrolet dealer that abruptly went bankrupt in 2008 after the subprime loans it offered customers turned sour.

About 30 Georgia lawmakers are reportedly circulating a petition to impeach Attorney General Thurbert Baker for refusing to file a lawsuit against Obamacare. It would require a majority vote in the House and a two-thirds vote in the Senate, so it’s unlikely to succeed, but since crossover day is Friday, the upside is that such an effort could prevent the General Assembly from passing any more bills this year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of aisle, the Democratic Party of Georgia filed an open-records request today asking for any written communications between the governor’s office and various conservative organizations, apparently seeking to discover Perdue’s request is part of a concerted national effort.

Tuesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue urged Thurbert Baker to join the 12 other state attorneys general who are suing to stop Obamacare.

Baker’s response: You don’t have a case.

Based upon my understanding of the current Act, I am unaware of any constitutional infirmities and do not think it would be prudent, legally or fiscally, to pursue such litigation. I must therefore respectfully decline your request.

The AJC has some secret details of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s transportation plan, and the timing alone is almost sure to kill the idea.

Perdue, according to the leaked documents, is planning votes on a 1 percent sales tax devoted to transportation improvements in 12 regions across the state to coincide with the 2012 presidential preference primary.

In 2008, Democratic presidential primary voters outnumbered Republicans by 100,000. But the last time an incumbent Democrat was running, in 1996, only 95,000 voters cast ballots for Bill Clinton in the Democratic primary, while 654,000 voted in the contested Republican primary.

A top budget-writer in the legislature says Gov. Sonny Perdue is using “funny money” to balance the budget and that, contrary to what Gov. Sonny Perdue says, furloughs are likely for the fiscal year that starts in July.

I interviewed state Rep. Earl Erhart, R-Powder Springs, this morning for a piece later on this week about his role as new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s Higher Education Subcommittee and the outlook for funding for the University of Georgia, Athens Tech and other colleges.

Erhart’s “funny money” crack came as he was discussing Perdue’s reliance on bonds and his use of $34 million in lottery money to plug a hole in this year’s higher-ed budget.

Consider that HOPE money gone, he said, as well as a mysterious $19 million bond outlay for a Kia training center that he said has already been built.

On the eve of Senate Democrats finally passing health care reform, Georgia Republicans are calling for an investigation into the deal that made it happen.

States are required to match federal funding for Medicaid, the health-care program for the poor and disabled. The health care bill would make people who earn up to 133 percent of the (very low) federal poverty line, costing states millions of dollars (federal officials have pledged to make up the difference, although that’s not part of the current legislation).

Sen. Ben Nelson ripped open his Christmas card Saturday and found millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements for his home state of Nebraska. In Majority Leader Harry Reid's envelope was a 60th vote for health care reform.

But when Democratic leaders played Santa for Nelson, they also handed Republicans a gift-wrapped issue to use in the health care debate.

Sen. Johnny Isakson: “Isakson also criticized the lack of transparency as the legislation was drafted and the backroom deals that Democratic Leader Reid, D-Nev., made with certain Senate Democrats in order to secure their votes on his health care proposal.

After moderator Tim Bryant mistakenly identified two panelists as economists at Wednesday’s health care forum, it became sort of a running joke, with Bryant asking everyone if they were economists.

When Mayor Heidi Davison took the stage, she introduced herself by saying, “I’m Heidi Davison, and I’m a secret economist. I’ve been hiding it from you all these years.”

Later, Davison, whose terms ends in December 2010, explained that she favors health-care reform because Athens has 14,000 uninsured residents, “and in 17 months, it’ll be 14,002, including me and Al,” her husband.

A cold, frosty mug of river water

Is Gov. Sonny Perdue running for a third term?

No, but it’s hard to tell by a press release Rep. DuBose Porter, D-Dublin, just released. It’s also hard to tell whether Porter put it out in his capacity as House minority leader or as a candidate for governor.

Porter blasted Perdue for lifting outdoor watering restrictions today:

“The hallmark of the Perdue Administration is always the same: when confronted with any problem, first, deny it, then when denying won't work any longer, claim that you are solving it. Then just forget all about it, and wait until your term ends.