Bredesen's Watergate becomes national shame

Even as Governor Bredesen travels stumps across Ohio for Barack Obama, his Watergate has become a national embarrassment as it gains the attention of the national media. USA Today writes:

Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol declined to name the people who were checked. Investigators did not recognize the names of any elected officials or politicians on the list, said Col. Mike Walker, the THP's commander.

The latest suspension adds to a series of scandals involving the department in recent years.

Walker and Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell were brought in to help clean up the department's image after its top three officials resigned in December 2005 following reports of troopers with criminal backgrounds, allegations of ticket-fixing and a culture of cronyism and political arm-twisting.