Even in the more generous reading of the excesses of his investigation, it was precisely his moralism and self-righteousness that made him lose perspective and think he was conducting a crusade for truth and morality rather than a criminal investigation. Ashcroft's defenders say the nominee's unbending moral code will make him enforce the law whether he agrees with it or not. But the Starr example points to another conclusion entirely. If anything it makes him sound like a fanatic. Integrity worth the name is a statement about the full measure of a person, a matter of balance as much as morality, a polished way of saying someone is a stand-up guy.
Personal propriety is a small part of the equation.
We got into this integrity fixation because of a simpletons' conspiracy involving the the pundit class, anti-Clinton character theorists, and Bill Bennett. To each his own, of course. And if it works for John Ashcroft, more power to him. Related in Slate William Saletan explains why George W. Bush is having trouble defending Ashcroft, even though he is armed with the integrity issue. Emily Yoffe tells everything there is to know about the confirmation process.