As Hillary Clinton is attacked by her party, media pundits and others for not ending her campaign for the presidency "before the fat lady sings," we ought to remind ourselves that following through on commitments appears to be a declining ethic in America, and that there is much to admire about determination, fortitude, and the character to make it to the finish line, no matter what the obstacles may be and no matter how small chances may be to win the race.

The alternative approach was on display this month by New Hampshire State Rep Michael R. DesRoches, who finally resigned from office after failing to make a single vote since being elected 16 months ago. As reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader, DesRoches explained that he did not expect to win when he agreed to let his name be placed on the ballot in 2006. But he got elected, much to his surprise, and found the duties of being a citizen legislator (remuneration: $100 a year) just too burdensome. DesRoches said he was beset with various personal and financial problems, including a bad knee, a relationship turned sour and depression.

"I was concentrating on myself," DesRoches told the paper. "Because if I didn't have a clear mind, with everything going on with my depression, how would I be able to actually vote correctly?" So, appropriately self-absorbed with his woes, the legislator just ignored his duties for more than a year, satisfied that those who voted for him to represent them would understand. Life gets in the way, you know? Finally, DesRoches was finally moved to resign, after 16 months of doing nothing, only because he was evicted from his apartment and had to move out of his district. In all, he missed 286 roll calls.

It was all a misunderstanding, he said. He had been misled about the amount of work state legislators are expected to do, and didn't understand he would be given a committee assignment that had the potential to fill up his schedule each week.

It is fair to say that Hillary Clinton, and certainly husband Bill, would never let little things like evictions and bad knees---definitely not relationship problems!---stop them from fulfilling the expectations of their supporters and the duties of their offices. Like them or loathe them, the strange, obsessed and dedicated people, Republican and Democrat, who give their lives over to elected public service know how to complete a quest and do a job without yielding to fatigue, wounded pride, criticism or personal tragedy. If they are honest, intelligent and wise, their virtues of diligence and determination in the face of adversity should be inspirations to us all. If they are not honest, perversely, it can become a curse, as in the current sordid dramas of Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson. But we all can learn from the best of them, and absorb the lesson that Michael R. DesRoches clearly doesn't comprehend. Duty isn't easy. Duty to others often means that taking the simple way out, "concentrating on myself," as DesRoches puts it, isn't an ethical or acceptable option.

In a contest between too much determination, as perhaps Mrs. Clinton is showing now, and not enough, as Mr. DesRoches spectacularly displayed, the Ethics Scoreboard will take the former every time.