On Whitewater, Senate Republicans issued a blistering report accusing Hillary Rodham Clinton and White House aides of impeding their inquiry.

Headquarters issued a blistering report.

In 2004, the Interior Department's inspector general issued a blistering report about the auditing system, saying that many auditors were unqualified, that essential documents were being lost and that the internal review process was "ineffective."

The Congo episode became a public scandal last March, after an investigation led by Jordan's U.N. ambassador, Prince Zeid Raad al-Hussein, produced a blistering report.

Way back in 1992 the Child Welfare League of America issued a blistering report about the backward state of affairs in Mississippi.

Sadly, such caution was not exercised, according to a frank and blistering report by the inspector general of the Justice Department.

Last week, the comptroller's office issued a blistering report on its audit of the Central Islip school district, saying it paid for "excessive, questionable and unsupported travel and other expenses for school board members."

The worst came last year when the Association for Children, an advocacy group, issued a blistering report about the state's handling of child abuse and neglect cases.

The trigger for their introspection was a blistering report released earlier this month by Mr. Ashcroft's inspector general at the Justice Department, Glenn A. Fine.