Ernie Fletcher becomes latest GOP governor in trouble

The culture of corruption within the GOP is not limited to Capitol Hill.  A number of GOP governors, such as Ernie Fletcher, are joining the club:

A grand jury indicted Gov. Ernie Fletcher on misdemeanor chargesThursday, accusing him of illegally rewarding political supporters withstate jobs since taking office two years ago.

Fletcher was charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination.

Fletcher spokesman Brett Hall said the Republican governor was notsurprised, given Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo's ongoinginvestigation into the administration's hiring practices.

"This has been a politically motivated, media-driven investigationfrom the start," Hall said. "Governor Fletcher has said repeatedly hisconscience is clear. He has done nothing wrong. We are evaluating thecharges, and, likewise, we are studying our recourse of action in thewake of this malicious prosecution."

For nearly a year, the special grand jury has been investigatingwhether the Fletcher administration broke state law by basing personneldecisions on political considerations.

With both the U.S. House and Senate in play for November, many analysts are overlooking the fact that the Democrats might grab hold of a majority of the country's governorships for the first time in more than fifteen years.  The polls show that many GOP incumbent governors would be out if the election were to happen today.  A Washington Post article in February discussed that potential.