After some investigation, including interviews, Jeffrey Rosen has concluded that Ashcroft is less a religious zealot than a poll-driven politician. (A former senator follows the polls? Who'd have guessed?) Not that this will alleviate libertarian concerns about the Patriot Act, but it is an interesting read. Rosen also got the impression that Ashcroft, being a political animal, was not as concerned as he should be about the technicalities of what is constitutional, overly focusing on the popular idea of vigorous prosecution of crime.