The Inspector General, who has just confirmed to Sen. Patrick Leahy that he is investigating several aspects of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' recent testimony before Congress, was appointed by President Clinton just before he left office. And he is one tough dude.
When Sen. Patrick Leahy asked Inspector General Glenn Fine to investigate the Attorney General's testimony for untruths, this was the response:
"The OIG has ongoing investigations that relate to most of the subjects addressed by the Attorney General's testimony that you identified. In particular, the OIG is conducting a review relating to the terrorist surveillance program, as well as a follow-up review of the use of national security letters. In addition, the OIG is conducting a joint investigation with the Department's Office of Professional Responsibility into allegations regarding the removal of certain United States Attomeys and improper hiring practices.
We believe that through those investigations and other OIG reviews we will be able to assess most of the issues that you raise in your letter."
It sounds like a statement from a fully functioning executive branch office which holds itself accountable...how could that be? Because Glenn Fine, the Inspector General, is no loyal Bushie, but a Clinton appointee:
After Harvard Law School, Mr. Fine worked as a federal prosecutor and as a private labor lawyer before being recruited in 1995 by Michael R. Bromwich, then the Justice Department inspector general, who put him in charge of a new unit to handle complex investigations. Mr. Fine was nominated by President Bill Clinton for the top job in 2000 and was confirmed just weeks before President Bush took office.
He's a literally hard-nosed government professional who pulls no punches (just the kind of guy who would be disgusted by a Gonzales-like figure):
[...]After Glenn A. Fine gave up a chance to play for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association to accept a Rhodes scholarship in 1979, he stayed in shape as a member of Oxford University’s basketball team. But the 5-foot-9 Mr. Fine, always eager for a challenge, also decided to try out boxing.
"A bunch of us went and watched, and he got his nose bloodied and everything," recalled Nancy-Ann DeParle, a fellow Rhodes scholar and an old friend. "I think he actually won the match, but it wasn’t pretty."
[...]
and prior investigations by Fine had already drawn Gonzales' blood:
[...]Mr. Fine’s report this month on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s mishandling of national security letters, which the bureau uses to obtain telephone and financial records, has contributed to calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales [...]
This is the real reason that Gonzales resigned. When the Bush administration has tried to completely remove accountability by stacking government with its cronies, Mr. Fine represents something we haven't had for quite a while: the rule of law. When Fine's report comes out, it is going to be devastating. The Attorney General figured as much, and that is why he's gone.
It will be interesting to see the report.