"His case is going to hell in public opinion. He's suffering death by a thousand cuts."

The NYT looks at the long, puzzling silence of Michael B. Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse team rape case:

Several lawyers who know Mr. Nifong say he is no showboat and is a highly ethical prosecutor. But other lawyers said he was too rigid, too inflexible. Julian Mack, a lawyer in Durham who represented a member of the lacrosse team who was not charged, said: "He jumps to conclusions, makes up his mind, and that's it. His personality is that he's very stubborn."

[H. Wood Vann, a lawyer in Durham,] said Mr. Nifong could drop the case, but the political price would be high. "He'd have hell to pay from the African-American community," he said. "They'd say, 'Give her her day in court. What do you have to lose? If you lose, at least the jury made the decision.' So he's kind of stuck."

What do you have to lose? It's frightening to think of a prosecutor taking that attitude. And it seems that hell is already demanding payment.