...The back story, as it were, begins 32 years ago in Kalamazoo, Mich., where Ms. Abedin, who declined to participate in this article, lived until the age of 2.
Her family then relocated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she lived until returning to the States for college.
She attended George Washington University. Her father, who died when she was 17, was an Islamic and Middle Eastern scholar of Indian decent.
He founded his own institute devoted to Western-Eastern and interfaith understanding and reconciliation and published a journal focusing on Muslim minorities living in the diaspora.
Her mother, a renowned professor in Saudi Arabia, is Pakistani.
Ms. Abedin recently bought an apartment in the vicinity of 12th and U streets in Washington, D.C. ...
Ms. Abedin began working for Mrs. Clinton as an intern for the then First Lady in 1996.
She was hired as a staff assistant to the First Lady's chief of staff, Maggie Williams. For several years, she was the backup to Mrs. Clinton's permanent personal aide, Allison Stein, and she officially took over as Mrs. Clinton's aide and advisor around the time of the 2000 Senate race.
Her Presidential campaign title is "traveling chief of staff"...
According to a friend, her favorite designers are Mr. de la Renta, Catherine Malandrino, Charles Nolan and Prada. "And she has a weakness for Marc Jacobs bags," said the friend. "She is known for her bags."
Robert Barnett, the Clintons' longtime attorney, said that in 11 years of knowing her, he has never seen her wear the same outfit twice...
Can You Top This?
Unrelated: the city's sex life bottoms out; Hillary's gal Friday; Dean among the Queensby Michael Musto
villagevoice.com
...As I recently said on MONICA CROWLEY's radio show, whisper campaigns are claiming that HILLARY CLINTON is GAYLE KING–ing her aide de camp, the glamorous HUMA ABEDIN, an Indian/Pakistani "goddess" from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In other words, Hillary may be putting Huma out there in the press and purposely making her more visible as a pre-emptive strike that amounts to her hiding in plain sight.
This way, no Republican can later say, "Who is this gorgeous babe who spends so much intimate time with Hillary that the Observer called her Hill's 'body person'?
Was GENNIFER FLOWERS's book right about Hillary's sexual taste?"
And does either of this couple have the balls to bottom?
Of course that whole scenario can't possibly be true, since Bill and Hill have been so lovey-dovey lately for the cameras, and besides, whenever he's been serviced by an intern—or by anyone—he's clearly been thinking of his wife. (They're that close.)
But suddenly, Huma—a sort of Muslim SALMA HAYEK—has that spread in Vogue and the accompanying write-up notes that she "oversees every minute of Senator Clinton's day."
Every single minute? Even Gayle King takes a break now and then!
(PS: If I called for comment, Hillary's camp would surely say, "Just because two powerful women are closer than sardines doesn't make them dykes." And that's so true. Look at MATT and BEN. But now that Crowley has dubbed me the head of Huma Resources, I'm going to pursue this story with every cojone I've got.)
Hillary Lesbian Rumor Given Weight by DOJ Official by BHDC Staff Tuesday September 11th, 2007
bigheaddc.comWe're still a bit incredulous on this one, but a top level U.S. Department of Justice official is telling Big Head DC that Michael Musto's rumor about Hillary Clinton fooling around with one of her top female aides Huma Abedin is based in reality!
"I am close enough to Hillary and Huma to tell you that this ‘rumor' is true," the official says. "It is well known inside her campaign that Hillary and Huma are an item.
"If you call Hillary's residence in DC first thing in the morning, Huma answers the phone," the official continues. "Same thing late at night and on the road. It's a closely guarded secret that Hillary's inner circle guards at all costs."
Make of that what you will, kids. But know this: The official is someone who has proven highly credible in the past...
YAPPY MOMENTRichard JohnsonOctober 21, 2007
nypost.comWHAT was Hillary Clinton's ultra-glamorous right-hand woman, Huma Abedin, doing cooling her heels outside a Bukharian Jewish Congress reception in the Senate on Thursday afternoon?
We're not sure, but one of D.C.'s most eligible bachelors, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn), was the emcee. As the event wrapped up, an ebullient Weiner was spotted escorting the charming Abedin - who has been profiled in Vogue - out the Capitol's first-floor doors. "They were yapping and catching up," said a Weiner spokesman.
Shocking Inside DC Scandal Rumor: A Media Ethics Dilemma Ron Rosenbaum October 29, 2007
pajamasmedia.comSo I was down in DC this past weekend and happened to run into a well-connected media person, who told me flatly, unequivocally that "everyone knows" The LA Times was sitting on a story, all wrapped up and ready to go about what is a potentially devastating sexual scandal involving a leading Presidential candidate...
Rosenbaum's Political PhysicsBy Mickey KausWednesday, Oct. 31, 2007,
slate.comDo you ever sense there is some large mass of dark matter, an unseen Scandal Star, the gravitational pull of which is warping the coverage of what seems, on the surface, a pretty dull presidential race? I do. So does Ron Rosenbaum. I thought the Dark Star was the Edwards affair allegation.
But Rosenbaum says "everyone in the elite Mainstream media" knows about another juicy scandal that the LAT is supposedly sitting on. I guess this is proof that I'm not in the elite, because I don't know what he's talking about. ... My vestigial Limbaugh gland tells me it must involve a Democrat, or else the Times would have found a reason to print it. ... P.S.: If it's just Richardson, that will be very disappointing. ...
I have been receiving emails about Huma - one came for a Department of Justice computer (ISP) stating this: "I am close enough to both Hillary and Huma to know that it is an open secret on the campaign that those two are romantically involved. It is something you will never get them to verify though…"
Trips by Huma Abedin
Purpose: ACCOMPANIED SENATOR TO RETREATDate: Mar 24, 2001 (2 days) Expense: $1,227.00
sourceDestination: MIAMI
Date: Aug 8, 2001
Destination: BUFFALO, NY, BINGHAMTON, NY TO DULLES
Date: Oct 29, 2001
Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY TO ROCHESTER TO LAGUARDIA
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRIPDate: Feb 21, 2002
Destination: ISRAEL
Purpose: Date: Feb 22, 2002 (2 days)
Destination: DUBLIN, IRELAND
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRAVELDate: Mar 25, 2002 (2 days) Expense: $2,022.71
sourceDestination: LAS VEGASS
Purpose: ASSISTING SENATOR DURING SPEECH TO CONVENTION
Date: Oct 5, 2002Expense: $2,722.50
sourceDestination: ROCHESTER, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY
Purpose: ACCOMPANY SENATOR TO OFFICIAL SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT
Date: Oct 11, 2002Expense: $1,100.00
sourceDestination: PENN YAN, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY
Purpose: FACT FINDING TRAVEL
Date: Oct 15, 2002Expense: $1,061.50
sourceDestination: ALBANY, NY TO WHITE PLAINS, NY
Purpose: ASSIST SENATOR DURING MSNBC TV APPEARANCE
Date: Nov 20, 2002Expense: $216.50
sourcePurpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTDate: Jan 17, 2003 (1 day) Expense: $325.00
sourcePurpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTDate: Feb 21, 2003
Destination: BUFFALO, NY
Purpose: COMPANY VISITDate: Mar 10, 2003
Destination: SOUTHINGTON, CT
Purpose: SPEECHDate: Apr 29, 2003Expense: $1,700.00
sourcePurpose: SITE VISIT
Date: Apr 29, 2003Expense: $1,366.00
sourceDestination: WASHINGTON DC-BINGHAMPTON, NY-WHITE
PLAINS, NY
Purpose: BRIEFING AND TOURDate: Jan 30, 2004
Destination: SYRACUSE, NY
Date: Jun 7, 2004
Destination: SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Date: Jun 28, 2004
Destination: ASPEN, CO
Purpose: SPEECHDate: Jul 17, 2004 (1 day)
Destination: DULLES, VA TO ALBANY, NY TO TELERBORO, NJ
Purpose: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT
Date: Jul 23, 2004
Destination: BOSTON
Purpose: LECTURE
Date: Nov 10, 2004
Destination: CALIFORNIA
Purpose: MEETINGS AND DINNER FOR WJC PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Date: Nov 12, 2004
Destination: LITTLE ROCK AR
Purpose: OPENING OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Date: Nov 17, 2004 (3 days)
Destination: BINGHAMTON
Purpose: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Date: Jan 28, 2005
Destination: GERMANY
Purpose: SPEECH
Date: Feb 13, 2005 (1 day)
Destination: PAKISTAN-NEW DELHI INDIA-WHITE PLAINS, NY
Purpose: SPEECH
Date: Feb 23, 2005 (4 days)
Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY TO BUFFALO, NY
Purpose: CONFERENCE AND SPEECH
Date: Mar 7, 2005
Destination: ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Purpose: COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Date: May 13, 2005 (1 day)
Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY-BOSTON
Purpose: SPEECH
Date: Jun 17, 2005
Setting aside all the titillation about the sapphic aspects of this story, the facts of the matter just scream "intelligence mole".
How does the child of two university professors [one of them deceased], who is single, never married, and living on a clerical salary, in one of the most expensive cities in America, afford to "never... wear the same outfit twice"?
Much less purchase from the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Catherine Malandrino, Charles Nolan, Prada, and Marc Jacobs? Not to mention Yves Saint Laurent?
How does the child of two university professors [one of them deceased], who is single, never married, and living on a clerical salary, in one of the most expensive cities in America, afford to buy her own "apartment in the vicinity of 12th and U streets"?
What would such an apartment cost? $500,000? $750,000? $1,000,000?
Where is she getting that kind of money?
Who is the co-signor on her loan?
And as bad as the financials of the Observer piece are, the psychological profile it paints is even worse:
"It was like 110 degrees outside," recalled the source, a political aide who asked to remain anonymous. "We were all just pouring down with sweat. But I have this distinct memory of Huma traipsing in in this blue pantsuit—it was like this wool pantsuit—not a bead of sweat on her brow, not a hair out of place, with everything perfectly organized in her Yves Saint Laurent handbag."
That sort of fantastical, supernaturally tinged tale is not unusual. Indeed, in the insular world of New York and D.C. politics, Huma Abedin has become a sort of mythical figure...
"I think she has special powers," said public-radio broadcaster Katia Dunn, who recently crossed paths with Ms. Abedin and Mrs. Clinton at a café on Capitol Hill...
Representative Anthony Weiner, a swingingly single Brooklyn Democrat who has known Ms. Abedin since before Hillary Clinton was elected to office, talked about her ability to perform under pressure "preternaturally"...
"Have you seen Huma?" asked James Carville, the former advisor to President Clinton. "Her appearance is just like, ‘Hoh my God!' She takes your breath away. She's an unbelievably, stunningly gorgeous woman. Nobody in that position can be that good-looking; it just doesn't happen." He added that she is also "damn smart."
"She is a person of enormous intellect with in-depth knowledge on a number of issues—especially issues pertaining to the Middle East," said Senator John McCain, in a statement relayed by one of his aides.
"Huma is an example of why more people, particularly in Washington, need to understand the rest of the world, need to recognize what an asset it is to have cross-cultural experiences," wrote Queen Noor of Jordan in an e-mail...
"I'd call Huma one in a million," said Mrs. Clinton's press secretary, Philippe Reines, "but that would mean there are 5,999 others in the world just like her, and there simply aren't. She is truly one of a kind, one in a billion.
We are all in awe of her poise, grace, judgment, intellect and her seemingly endless reserve of kindness, patience and energy."
People get nervous & flighty & anxious in life when they CARE.
People are unflappable when they DON'T CARE.
Just from a purely psychological point of view, the fact that she seems to be unflappable within the confines of the biggest pressure cooker in American politics suggests to me that she doesn't care about American politics - that, instead, she cares about something else - something other than American politics.
And certainly the easiest way to not care about a set of circumstances in life is when you aren't actually participating in those circumstances, but rather are merely ACTING THE PART of someone who is participating in those circumstances.
The very fact that she spent 15 or 16 years in Saudi Arabia [from roughly the age of 2, until roughly the age of 18], and then showed up in the Clinton Whitehouse, as an intern, in 1996, at roughly the age of 21, is, in and of itself, a massive security breach.
That she then spent another five years in the Clinton Whitehouse, and, for most of the last seven years, has been wedded at the hip to Mrs. Clinton, night and day [whether or not they are engaging in acts of sodomy], is an unthinkable compromise of national security.
And even if it wasn't an "unthinkable compromise of national security" on Monday, September 10, 2001, it damned sure became an unthinkable compromise of national security on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
As a thought experiment, reverse the roles, and suppose that Huma Abedin was a Jewish girl, with supermodel looks, and that her parents had left America when she was 2, and had emigrated to Israel [even though NEITHER of her parents had been born in Israel], and that her mother was an Israeli professor, and that her father had founded his own institute devoted to Israeli-American and interfaith understanding and reconciliation and published a journal focusing on Jewish minorities living in the diaspora.
And suppose that she had worked her way into the Clinton Whitehouse, in 1996, at the age of 21 [after spending 15 or 16 of her formative years in Israel], and that she had become wedded at the hip to Mrs. Clinton, night and day, for the next 11 years.
[We'll leave out the part about the 19 "Jews" (Saudis) - 15 of them from "Israel" - who hijacked a bunch of jetliners and flew them into the World Trade Center & the Pentagon, back in 2001.]
And suppose that she was spending money way beyond her apparent station in life.
And suppose that she was unflappable in pressure-cooker situtations.
Now suppose all of those things, and then come to the logical conclusion.
People would be screaming "Mossad" at the top of their lungs.
Alan note: Why is nobody screaming Saudi security breach?
The "gay/lesbian" aspect only has relevance in the light of the original reasons for not allowing gays in the military. Not so much a "social" disruption, after all we have women in the military alongside men, but because gay men were not to be trusted to hold back secrets from other gay men from enemy ranks if they became enamored.