They don't get it. It is precisely these qualities in Ashcroft that the Left most fears. This is precisely why the Left wants to trash him. That one 'virtue' of Clinton's gave him a free pass on all sorts of abuses against women in the eyes of many high profile feminists. Conservatives are not perfect, but they still think moral uprightness and personal integrity are the name of the game, and once established, one is home free.
Conservatives are naive.
They don't know this is not your grandfather's liberalism, but a very dangerous ideology threatening American freedoms in profound ways. Conservatives still think it's about rational debate toward truth, justice and the American way. They still think words are for clarifying meaning rather than obscuring it. They do not realize that those on the Left despise religion unless it can be bent to suit their agenda. Today it seems impossible to be a liberal and not be a moral relativist.