That's certainly an interesting way to phrase it.
Ms. Abedin is portrayed from the film’s opening minutes as the linchpin of Mr. Weiner’s attempted comeback after his resignation from Congress. “Did Huma want you to go back into politics?” one of the filmmakers asks Mr. Weiner. He does not hesitate. “She did,” he says. “She was very eager to get her life back that I had taken from her.”
It's certainly intriguing that Weiner and Abedin define life in terms of his political career, rather than their marriage or parenthood.
It's easy to forget now that Weiner is a national joke, but there was a time when he was a likely future senator (and then who knows) or governor. He was the frontrunner for mayor of New York City at one point and even after his first scandal, came fairly close to a comeback.
I can't even begin to speculate what that relationship looked like, but Huma Abedin hooked up with a close Clinton ally on the way up. Huma Abedin isn't Hillary Clinton. She isn't going to run for office herself. Her M.O. is attaching herself to powerful people. She became Hillary Clinton's closest aide. If Hillary Clinton makes it to the White House, Huma Abedin becomes the new Valerie Jarrett or Condoleezza Rice. If she doesn't, well she was supposed to have Weiner as a backup plan. Oh well. Maybe Donald Trump is in the market for a fifth or sixth wife. Or maybe Bernie Sanders, who seems comfortable with weird marital setups. Because it doesn't look like Weiner is going to go any further. Which means Huma Abedin's last big bet is Hillary Clinton.
When a young campaign staff member, on the verge of tears after the revelations and ensuing media harassment, prepared to leave the couple’s Park Avenue apartment, Ms. Abedin offered some advice. “Just a quick optics thing?” she said to the woman. “I assume those photographers are still outside. So, you will look happy?” The staff member agreed.
Cold. You can see why she and Hillary are so in sync.
What's funny is that Weiner and Abedin ended up getting screwed by their own man whom they expected would turn out a PR puff piece for them.
“Weiner,” a 90-minute independently produced film, was directed by Josh Kriegman, who was chief of staff for Mr. Weiner’s district office from 2005 to 2006, and Elyse Steinberg, known for the PBS documentary “The Trial of Saddam Hussein.” “Weiner” relies heavily on humor, incorporating extensive footage of late-night comedians mocking him, and has a 1970s glam-rock, funk and reggae soundtrack.
Why did Mr. Weiner and Ms. Abedin continue to allow access after the scandal broke? “We don’t know,” Ms. Goldman said. “I think they were very comfortable with Josh. It was also unfolding so rapidly.”
Here's where Hillary Clinton would not have screwed up. She would have never allowed that level of access to begin with. And she would have cut it off in 2 seconds and maintained total control of all footage.
That's what she did even with her public paid speeches. But Kerry made the same mistake.
The contrast between Ms. Abedin’s public and private faces can be striking. One scene has the couple in a small office working the phones for campaign contributions. Ms. Abedin uses a sweet voice when she is asking for money. “How was the engagement?” she says on one call. “I want all the details!”
The film then cuts to her hanging up, showing a total change in demeanor. “His wife is going to max out, and he’ll try to raise another five,” she says flatly.
There's more than one face there.