White House counsel Alberto Gonzales will become the next U.S. attorney general.

Gonzales brings a compelling personal story of accomplishment, and appointment as the highest law enforcement officer in the country could cap an impressive career that has included stops at Harvard Law School, the U.S. Air Force and the Texas Supreme Court. Some speculate he may eventually be destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Despite the impressive resume, Gonzales should be held accountable for questionable conduct and a disturbing lack of dedication to the law.

Democrats in the Senate don’t stand a reasonable chance of stopping Gonzales from becoming attorney general. But the confirmation process will afford them an important opportunity to question the nominee on his role in U.S. policy that set the stage for torture at Abu Ghraib and coercive interrogations, and allowed for the secret detention of prisoners. It was a Gonzales’ memo that argued prisoners taken in Afghanistan were not subject to the rules of the Geneva Conventions.

In Texas, Gonzales was responsible for briefing then-Gov. Bush on death-row clemency requests. Only one prisoner out of 150 executed during Bush’s time as governor was granted clemency. Gonzales’ work has been criticized as superficial and ineffective.

Gonzales is a longtime Bush confidant and a trusted adviser. At times, he has given the president bad legal advice and contributed to the administration’s penchant for secrecy. As attorney general, Gonzales must put the law above personal loyalties. We hope he’s up to the job.