It is hard to describe my reaction to Anthony Weiner's decision to stay in the mayoral race following the latest disclosures about his capers on the internet. Cynical laughter? Shock? Disgust? Is there some appropriate reaction to this kind of thing? The man certainly had liberal credentials, and that made all the more tragic the earlier revelations about his indiscretions, if not character. But there were indications that Weiner was unstable even before the sex scandal erupted. His outburst on the floor of the House clearly showed us that this was a man who has trouble reining in various of his emotions.
When he announced that he was throwing his hat in the ring in the New York City mayoral race, I, like many others desperate for an alternative to the current roster of candidates, was willing to hold my nose and hope that he might prevail. But the latest revelations are clearly too much, and, everyone except Anthony Weiner seems to know it. His latest crime, however, is not his inability to control his libido, it is his abuse of his wife, Huma. There was much speculation in the media--everywhere from NPR to the tabloid outlets about how Huma really felt. I don't think we need do much head-scratching about this. The woman clearly appeared alongside her troubled husband under duress. Granted that only the two of them know for sure what took place after the recent story was splashed all over the headlines, but can we not be fairly certain that Huma was embarrassed, humiliated, disappointed, distraught? She can't even hold her head up before the cameras. The finger-pointing maniac who inhabited Weiner's body in the most public forum of congress, armed as he is by an undeniable intellect and a debater's skill, must have used some interesting arguments over the kitchen table to get his wife to stand by his side this time around. She came, but she clearly would have preferred to be just about anyplace else on the planet. Were we the fly on the wall in the Weiner kitchen as Anthony made his case to his bride and the mother of his child, is it not possible that his importunings would look like nothing other than psychological abuse? If Huma's body language is any indication, abuse seems not just possible, but likely.
Yet, the wags wag on about whether or not Huma is an enabler, or the appropriate response of a political wife. From this writer's point of view, Huma Weiner should seek a protective shelter from a husband who is clearly out of control, and all those alleged journalists and seekers after truth should be calling out the alarm. Politics in this country has become more disgraceful than ever, but at least its games should be restricted to consenting adults.
