Actual Accountability

Say what you will about the performance of Linton Brooks as head of the National Security Administration, his firing -- and his acceptance of his fate as "based on the principle of accountability that should govern all public service" -- is very rare in the federal government. As I argued in a 2004 column, "when you're really accountable, you pay the price. And when you're a political appointee, who serves at the pleasure of the president and is never guaranteed job security, the price is your job."