I don't know Verrilli personally, but being Solicitor General is a daunting task.  Some are better than others, undoubtedly, but you can't even stand before the Supreme Court, let alone on a regular basis, without being a good lawyer.

But, you have to separate the lawyer from the client.  As the SG, Verrilli doesn't get to choose his position or, oftentimes, his cases.  He's stuck, trying to make the best of what is, for him, a bad situation.  And I never said he was pious.

When I was a very young lawyer, I argued two cases, one each before the Michigan Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in which I had no chance of winning. I faced a withering series of questions from both benches that left me trying to decide whether I needed a bar or a hospital. So yes, I have a certain professional empathy for Verrilli, even as I disagree wholeheartedly with the position his client has taken.

But remember, for every Verrilli we pity or castigate, there is a Clement, whom we admire and who is truly brilliant.