The Tennessean editorial board (which operates distinct from the news side of the paper) has chugged the Bredesen Kool-Aid and asks for another pitcher

The governor deserves credit not only for what he has done with the THP, but for when he did it and how he did it. He waited until he had the facts — but as soon as those facts were presented, he acted. He never passed the buck, always acknowledging that the mess was his to fix. He allowed the media to have full access to troopers’ personnel records. And he made clear on Friday that more changes, possibly including more departures, are likely.

Those same attributes — decisiveness, openness, fairness — should help the governor finish the job of erasing the blot on the THP and restoring its credibility.

How far back does this THP corruption go? Well, so far nothing has come to light that happened prior to the Bredesen administration. In fact, many of the illegalities and unethical behavior has happened in an effort to thank Bredesen supporters. Three Bredesen appointees have taken the fall, yet according to the opinion-meisters at The Tennessean the governor has acted with near Herculanian ethical strength in cleaning up the mess he in part helped create.

The Tennessean’s editorial board ought to employ its critical eye on the THP matter, demanding to know why so much went undetected for so long. Instead, they seem content to bow down and wash the governor’s feet.