The Eliot Spitzer sex scandal has to be a nightmare for Hillary Clinton. On the crudest level, Spitzer’s alleged dalliances remind everyone of Bill Clinton, his intern, his cigar, her dress, his claim, and his impeachment—the sum of which spells Hillary’s humiliation. Having finally figured out that her husband’s PR magic was rusty, Hillary pulled him from the spotlight. Now, his very worst qualities are front and center in the nation’s minds.

This sets her back slightly on the “hear me roar” front, too. As Hillary is in the midst of a push to prove herself as the battle-hardened, Batphone-answering candidate, there stands Silda Spitzer, the governor’ wife, looking every inch the betrayed woman. The fact that Hillary is a prominent Democrat from New York can’t help either. Spitzer enthusiastically threw his support behind Hillary. And any additional associations with him, even subliminal ones, can work against a candidate who is trying to emerge from the perception of distrust.

Last night, at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, Hillary dodged questions about Spitzer. “I don’t have any comment on that. Obviously I am sending my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family” she said. But things could get appreciably stickier for Hillary if Spitzer keeps people guessing about his resignation. At that point it becomes a Democratic issue and a New York issue, and Hillary is going to have to weigh in. (There’s talk that Spitzer is holding off on resigning in order to work it into a plea deal.) If that drags on, Hillary can expect a barrage of questions that won’t be sidestepped so easily. Advising Spitzer to quit, after her husband stood his ground in the face of the vast right wing conspiracy, will require Hillary to draw on her not-so-ample supply of political finesse. And just to make matters more complicated, Spitzer is a superdelegate.  If he resigns, his superdelegate status goes too, and Hillary loses one potential convention vote.