Sanford: I gave my critics 'the bullets, the guns, the noose, and the rope and all that stuff.'

Embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) blamed himself for his political woes after the revelation of his extramarital affair.

The former 2012 presidential contender said that he gave his critics "the bullets, the guns, the noose, and the rope and all that stuff."

After revealing in June that he traveled to Argentina to visit his mistress several times, the State Ethics Commission opened a sweeping investigation into Sanford's use of state transportation and resources.

Several South Carolina politicians have also called for Sanford to resign, including Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer (R).

Sanford, who was interviewed by the Daily Beast, was as introspective and cryptic as he has been in multiple press appearances since June.

"I’m a wounded soldier; I took myself off the battlefield," he said regarding his hopes for higher office.

"It’s not until you lose something in life that you appreciate some of your blessings. If I ever had the chance to get back on the playing field, it would be a great honor and a privilege and a blessing," he added in a piece that ran Monday night.

"You know," he continued, "everybody is assigned their own secret-agent mission in life. And at times the tricky part, the hard part, is finding out what that secret-agent mission is. Some of us do it early, some of us do it later in life."

On why he decided to admit to his affair, he said "in my case, when I saw my number was up, I laid it out on the table in agonizing and excruciating detail."

"I think I told more in terms of laying it out than anybody in South Carolina wanted to know," he added.