Question:What do a skein of yarn, a string of lies and the governors of American states have in common?

Answer: All are subject to spontaneous unravelment. Or, put another way, what in the name of Britney Spears is going on in the state capitals? Governors are flipping out, flying off and, just like Britney, even forgetting the importance of keeping their underwear on.

As of this writing, at least four governors have gone off the deep end since last year, three of them in just the past few months. At the rate they’re dropping, another four could be gubernatorial road kill by the time anyone reads this. WARNING: Do not run for governor. It’s not worth the risk.

Can you spell self-destruct? E-l-i-o-t S-p-i-t-z-e-r. R-o-d B-lag-o-j-e-v-i-c-h. M-a-r-k S-a-n-f-o-r-d. S-a-r-a-h P-a-l-i-n.

Spitzer and Sanford—they of the insecure underwear— provided the most lurid of the meltdowns. Spitzer, New York’s former governor, was patronizing prostitutes while Sanford of South Carolina was cavorting with a paramour in Argentina. He lied about his whereabouts—hiking the Appalachian Trail? He couldn’t do any better than that?—then offered a teary, televised confession.

Blagojevich is facing felony charges that, as Illinois governor, he basically tried to sell the Senate seat that one Barack

H. Obama was about to vacate. AndPalin— not to be intentionally confused with Michael Palin, the Monty Python alumnus—announced in a rambling, illogical speech that she was quitting her post 18 months early because it would be unfair to Alaskans to keep doing the job she was elected to do. Or something like that. But it was all for country, you betcha.

It’s like a virus. Maybe being governor is just too hard these days. More than presidents, governors impact the lives of constituents. They hit them in the pocketbook, as all New Yorkers know. It takes tougher stock these days to absorb the punishment without falling to pieces. It’s not a job for girlie-men, if you catch our drift.

But there may be another way to look at this. Sanford is clinging to office, but maybe the other three governors did their states a favor by leaving a job they were constitutionally incapable of performing. In which case, we say to most of the other 46 chief state executives:Who’s next?