Anthony Weiner knows a thing or two about manipulating and exploiting women. The list of victims of his megalomaniacal and reckless behavior keeps growing. If you read the media’s account of Tuesday’s press conference (one which was sorely lacking the presence of Andrew Breitbart) you’d think that the latest “victim” of his behavior is his wife, Huma Abedin. Abedin is described as a long-suffering, helpless bystander deserving of sympathy rather than what she obviously is: an enabling co-conspirator.
The media’s “Huma Abedin Sympathy Movement” has begun in full force with Politico leading the charge. In their coverage of Weiner’s presser, Weiner’s wife and chief supporter was described in glowingly tragic ways:
“the dignified wife”
“elegant longtime aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton”
“deeply pained”
“on-camera validator”
The article, with the embarrassing US Magazine-Style headline “Huma and Anthony: Scenes from a marriage” painted an emotionally gut-wrenching portrait of poor Huma having to endure the indignity of the press conference:
She struggled to find a comfortable standing position as her husband soldiered through his statement, smiling uncomfortably to reporters she had met as Clinton’s body woman, at times physically drifting away from Weiner, as if she wanted to somehow slip quietly out of the camera frame, stage left.
Politico isn’t alone. CNN, Huffington Post, and Newsday all chimed in and climbed aboard the Huma Sympathy Magical Mystery Tour. On CNN Lanny Davis, a man who knows a thing or two about these kids of political scandals, referred to Abedin’s press conference performance as a “huge, meaningful presence” and that “without Huma being next to him, it’d be a much different conversation.”
Davis is correct that Abedin’s presence was a cynical calculation by Weiner and could possibly be the last lifeline his pathetic career enjoys. However, isn’t it time for some media figures to recognize the obvious fact that if Abedin really cared about her husband’s behavior and really wanted to focus on her marriage and her family, she would draw the line and refuse to participate in any more staged political spectacles?
Until she does, she should not be seen as a long-suffering, sympathetic figure. She should be challenged and forced to defend her behavior which has continued to enable her husband to exploit the young women for whom she pretends to expresses sympathy.