She couldn’t dodge her appointment or try to advocate “poorly” for the rapist and maintain her credibility — and she knew she’d need that credibility later on, as a politician and advocate. She neither could nor should disavow any one case for doing a good job. I mean, the media would punish her either way. She might as well be punished for being competent, rather than for dodging responsibility and breaking the law.

It is admittedly a heart wrenching case. And I’ve read elsewhere that Clinton has expressed deep sympathy and regret for having been placed in a circumstance to oppose Kathy Shelton. She has laughed at her client, the rapist, but never the victim.