I sincerely hope that people got to take some advantage of the sales tax holiday over the weekend.

Incumbent governor and Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen chose to make some political hay, yet again showing his tendency to have a tin ear when it comes to hearing the concerns of labor and of local businesses.

Gov. Phil Bredesen flew to key Tennessee cities Wednesday, including Knoxville, to kick off the state's first sales-tax holiday, which begins Friday.

He was met by protesters who say Tennessee needs a sales-tax break every day, not just this weekend, and he said he apologized to anyone who was displeased that he selected Wal-Mart for his visit instead of a retailer based in the state.

[snip]

He said he did not consider Wal-Mart's anti-union stance when the stops were chosen. He also did not respond to a question about why he didn't select a local retailer such as Goody's Family Clothing.

"We just selected some of the big-box retailers because that's where people shop and where these items are bought," Bredesen said. "I apologize if it's an issue with anybody. It's no endorsement of Wal-Mart."

Oh? Well, how about this as an endorsement?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen wants the state to do a better job at preparing students for careers at Wal-Mart. But he's not talking about stocking shelves or checking out customers at the retail giant. Instead, Bredesen wants to tailor community college programs to offer courses on retail management.

Bredesen, a Democrat, pitched his proposal on how to address a management shortage at big-box retail stores on a recent trip to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. While no formal arrangement has been struck, Bredesen and Wal-Mart officials agreed to work on developing a curriculum.

That certainly reads like an endorsement of Wal-Mart to me. I mean, it's not bad enough that Tennessee taxpayers already subsidizes Wal-Mart's property taxes, and its health care plan; apparently, the state will now be in the business of doing its human resources work. The Tennessee Board of Regents would serve as an official Training and Outplacement Center for Wal-Mart.

So for anyone hoping that there might be tax relief in his second term, or that there might be a living wage or fair wage proposal, here's your answer.

(Yes, this is election season. Yes, I generally back Bredesen. But this is the sort of thing which I find infuriating about him on matters of policy.)