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 Clinton a lesbian?
http://NoHillaryClinton.com
With her "personal" aide who's been described as "mysterious" and
"glamorous"?
The speculation that the former first lady has a thing for ladies has
the pundits panting. The rumblings from the edges of the press
brigades are gathering force as the smell of scandal to the press is
like blood in the water to pirhanas. The story is that the Los Angeles
Times is sitting on a major sex scandal involving one of the
candidates. Given the fact that if it involved a Republican, it would
have appeared well before any facts were fully gathered, attention
turns to the Democrats.
Now someone in the government, a Department of Justice official
speaks- off the record, of course-at Big Head DC:
"I am close enough to Hillary and [her personal aide]Huma [Abedin]
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."
UPDATE:
Hillary Clinton a lesbian? Coming out?
The rumors, whispers and speculation has been heavy this week about
the relationship of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's
relationship with her personal aide, Huma Abedin. Supposedly, the Los
Angeles Times has a story about a sex scandal involving one of the
presidential candidates that it's been sitting on.
The blogosphere's been a-buzz.
--------------------
Sources:
Hillary's Mystery Woman: Who is Huma?
http://www.nohillaryclinton.com/2007/07/26/hillary%%E2%%80%%99s-mystery-...
This is Hillary Clinton's top aide. Goes with her everywhere. And,
according to Vogue magazine, "fluent in Arabic, and a practicing
Muslim born in Kalamazoo, MI, to a Pakistani mother and Indian father.
Moved to Saudi Arabia when she was two...Her father is an Islamic
scholar...." This story is a real eye-opener.
Am I the only person who thinks it is strange that Mrs. Clinton has a
top aide who is a Muslim raised in Saudi Arabia? What is going on
here?
Paul Sperry's book, "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives
have Penetrated Washington" has become more and more relevant, hasn't
it?
Last June, under an oppressive sun, at a rally to save the Niagara
military base at the University of Buffalo, all of New York's top
politicians-George Pataki, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton-poured
sweat.
Yet there was exactly one member of the wilting delegation who
managed, somehow, to stay cool: Hillary Clinton's mysterious,
glamorous and eerily unflappable aide de camp, Huma Abedin.
"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.
On a day-to-day basis, Ms. Abedin is responsible for guiding the
Senator from one chaotic event to the next and ensuring that the many
hundreds of situations that arise at each-the photo ops, the
handshakes, the speeches-go smoothly. The job of "body person"-
industry-speak for the catchall role of an omnipresent traveling
assistant-is a notoriously grueling one, requiring unfaltering level-
headedness and a zeal for multitasking. These folks are constantly on
the move, juggling 20 different chores, and they consequently often
appear slightly disheveled (or even sweaty).
By most quantifiable measures, Ms. Abedin has the most challenging of
those gigs. In the last 10 days, she has accompanied Mrs. Clinton to
more than 20 events, involving nine plane flights and several trains.
At each stop, they were mobbed.
"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.
Ms. Dunn explained that she had heard about the "cult of Huma," but
had never met her. "All of a sudden, I turn around and there was this
woman I now know to be Huma. And it wasn't just that she was gorgeous-
she did just sort of have this presence. She stopped me in my tracks
for a second."
"It's not like she's incredibly coiffed," Ms. Dunn continued. "She
just looked very composed and confident in her natural beauty. She
momentarily arrested our progress. What's amazing is that she didn't
even yell at us or anything-she didn't have to."
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."
"This notion that Senator Clinton is a cool customer-I mean, I don't
dispute it, but the coolest customer in that whole operation is Huma,"
said the Congressman, who watched Ms. Abedin in action earlier this
month at the internationally covered march across the Edmund Pettus
Bridge in Selma, Ala.
Crossing the bridge was a logistical minefield: huge crowds to
navigate, innumerable V.I.P.'s-including former President Clinton-to
hand-hold, countless photo ops to facilitate and a strict timetable to
keep. "There were a hundred things that could have gone wrong," Mr.
Weiner recalled. "And Huma was sort of the all-purpose trouble-shooter
of first response. It was a tour de force, and what was most
impressive is that she maintained a level head the whole time."
He added: "In fact, I think there's some dispute as to whether Huma's
actually human or not."
But, Really, Is She?
Which gets at another facet of the cult of Huma: She's something of a
mystery, even to the people who have worked in her proximity for
years.
Very little is publicly known about her, which of course leaves plenty
to talk about. And the rumors abound. According to various accounts
from Huma acquaintances interviewed for this story: She's Lebanese,
she's Jordanian, she's Iranian, she's 26, she's 36, she has two
children, she lives with the Clintons.
"No one knows anything about her," said one political aide. "She's
like Hillary's secret weapon."
In point of fact, many people from countless different corridors
across the globe know something of Huma Abedin. But apparently she has
a rare knack for letting people in without really letting them in.
"This might seem too over-saccharine, but I love Huma," said Oscar de
la Renta, who is a personal friend and intensely loyal supporter of
the Clintons. The legendary designer was speaking to The Observer on
the phone from his compound in the Dominican Republic. He has known
her for nearly a decade. Indeed, he noted, Ms. Abedin has actually
been a guest at his island home. He described her as "discreet,"
"loyal," "beautiful" and "half-Pakistani."
"She is an unbelievably feminine and gentle person, but at the same
time she can accomplish so much," offered Mr. de la Renta. He recalled
that she had great style, but hastened to point out that "she's a
Muslim" and "she's very conservative."
"I always say I don't want to die without seeing [Huma] in a strapless
dress," he said, with a laugh. But did the dapper dressmaker know,
say, where his dream girl grew up?
"I don't really know much about her history," said Mr. de la Renta,
"because Huma is not such a talkative girl."
Other political players with Clinton connections were just as effusive
-
and just as vague on the personal details.
"I'm so fond of Huma, if she were to run for office, I would volunteer
for her campaign," said public-relations man and Democratic super-
fund-
raiser Robert Zimmerman. Pressed for any biographical details about
his prospective candidate, Mr. Zimmerman said, "I really don't know
much of her back story."
The Huma Story
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. When she comes to New York, she stays with
her sister, who has an apartment in Manhattan-not, as one popular
rumor has it, in Chappaqua with the Clintons. She has no children and
has never been married. She's single.
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."
'Hoh My God!'
So she's eminently qualified, and functions in the most visible
position for the most visible candidate now running for President.
Still, that's only part of the explanation for why she has become an
object of fascination.
"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."
Ms. Abedin is 5-foot-6 but invariably wears high heels-even to the
multitude of parades she is obliged to walk in. She has full lips and
long auburn hair, always worn down. And, despite a penchant for
cheeseburgers and a schedule that doesn't allow much time for Equinox,
she is fashionably trim.
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. He
also said he holds Ms. Abedin's intellect in the highest regard. "She
has extremely good instincts and extremely good judgment," he said.
"She is also gorgeous and the most terrifically dressed young woman
you will ever encounter."
A Special Category
Assistant Secretary of State Dina Habib Powell, a 33-year-old who was
born in Cairo, also speaks fluent Arabic and is also uncannily stylish
-
she says she has been told on many occasions that she is Ms. Abedin's
Republican doppelgänger-had some insights into what her colleague is
really passionate about.
"[Huma] certainly feels a deep responsibility to encourage more mutual
understanding between her beliefs and culture and American culture,"
said Ms. Powell. "I think you will see Huma coming out of that role in
the background."
"I think she's going to emerge as a woman to watch," she added.
It may have happened in the background, but Ms. Abedin has indeed
become a trusted advisor to Mrs. Clinton, especially on issues
pertaining to the Middle East, according to a number of Clinton
associates. At meetings on the region, they say, Ms. Abedin's
perspective is always sought out.
And more and more, she's becoming known for that expertise as well.
"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. "She is loyal, intelligent, diplomatic, energetic
and brings a broader understanding to the table-one that I wish there
was more of in the world. It is this sensibility that has contributed
to her being an enormous asset to Hillary in Washington and New York
and now in this next endeavor, and I am proud of her."
And so, apparently, is the boss.
"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."
Special powers, definitely.
