They use this little technical dodge for many things, but this is the most overt. They built this confederate memorial very near the capitol, knowing it would look like the whole confederacy thing was integral to the state's identity. And it is, of course. But they designated the memorial separately controlled and administered, because they knew the governor would have to respond to objections. This way, the governor is out of the loop, and can just shrug her shoulders and say, "It's up to the legislature." They learned this lesson back in the days of school desegregation, when they figured out weakening the governor's power made it more difficult for the federal government to enforce the Supreme Court's decision. This is why you will find "weak governor" structures in many states that tried to resist school integration. The flag thing is just one example of how it works.

I started calling at the governor's office and worked my way down the list. I heard that story several times.