A neuro-version of, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Those promoting rationality should acknowledge that they are pushing for the joys of internal mastery and self-congratulation; ALL behavior and thought is emotion-driven and emotion-rewarded.
What offends about Spitzer(s) is the direct hypocritical contrast between condemnation and punishment of others for what one then indulges in oneself. (A parallel is the vicious licentiousness of the AQ bosses and enforcers in areas of Iraq where they were enforcing super-Sharia, cutting off fingers of smokers, etc. Apparently, e.g., they all had world-class porn collections that they used as instruction manuals.)
You might be interested in the studies of Haidt, which suggest that liberals base all morality on not hurting anyone, while conservatives balance a range of “goods”, including stability and tradition. And ex-BBC editor and writer, Antony Jay (“Yes, Minister”), observes that the bottom-up values of the reformer/liberal are self-defeating in power, while the pure conservative undermines popular support with “insensitivity”. Neither is immune to corruption.
