Quote of the Day

"First of all, the kid's going to grow up in Gracie Mansion. So I'm going to say, 'Kid, don't complain.'"

-- Anthony Weiner on what he's going to tell his young son about the sexting scandals that have made his father into a national laughingstock and embarrassed his entire family

And there you have it.

If the all-consuming narcissism and mind-boggling lack of any sense of shame weren't enough to make you not only refuse to ever vote for Anthony Weiner but to openly, hostilely detest him as a human being, this should seal the deal. Nothing Weiner has ever done has been about anyone but him, about his naked ambition and his invariably self-serving goals.

I'll give Weiner this: He's one of the most transparent politicians America has ever seen. He's made it perfectly clear that the end will always justify the means -- or excuse the mistakes -- and that as long as he gets what he wants, who cares how he did it or what needed to be overlooked to make it happen? What's worse, for those wondering about Huma Abedin and the ways she seems to be enabling this asshole, now you know exactly how he's pitching the whole thing to her: It doesn't matter how many dumb little fangirls I send pictures of my dong to because unlike them and everyone openly mocking you right now, you're going to be the first lady of New York City, living in Gracie Mansion, when all of this is over. So what if I had to break a bunch of eggs to make you a gilded omelet?

Except that she's not going to end up living in Gracie. None of them are. If he continues his delusional campaign, come election day Weiner's going to be exactly what he is right now. He's going to be a national punchline, only with the added humiliation of watching himself and the family he's shamed go down in flames.

Assistant To the Quote of the Day

"When looking broadly at the Anthony Weiner–Huma Abedin union, we have to wonder if the coupling of a Jewish American man and a Muslim woman of her pedigree was fostered by love or by a socialist political agenda."

-- Eliana Benador in a piece in the Washington Times called "Anthony Weiner and Huma Albedin: Married To a Muslim Agenda?"

The serial idiocy of the Washington Times is always good for a laugh, but this column is seriously the most ridiculous thing you'll read all day (and, astonishingly, that includes the Vicki Larson piece posted a little while ago).

(Update: The Washington Times has taken the piece down, saying that it's now "under review." Salon saved a copy of it here.)

Quote of the Day

"Attractive men don't make the best husbands, according to researchers. They don't put as much energy into their long-term relationships, aren't as supportive of their wives, and they tend to lie and cheat more, too. In other words, they are better cads than dads... We'd be smarter if we sought out guys who are uglier than we are because researchers have found that couples in which the woman is hotter than the guy are happier than if the situation is reversed... So, now that (Huma) Abedin evidently has (Anthony) Weiner's good genes, she can either stick it out another few years or split from Weiner now, before their unborn baby will have memories of the divorce, and while she's still young and attractive enough to snag another mate. This time, she should go ugly."

-- Vicki Larson, self-described journalist, mom and "thinker," in a piece currently running at the Huffington Post called "Hot or Not? Why Women Shouldn't Pick Attractive Husbands"

Offered without commentary, the interjection of relevant recent personal experience, or any other statement that might contain an often derogatory word that describes a female dog.

Quote of the Day

"I think it's unlikely that Mrs. Weiner doesn't give a shit, for the record, but there are wives out there who don't give a shit about their husband's online activities—as well as wives who engage in online sexting, texting, flirting, and Tweeting themselves. And one day a sex scandal is going to break and instead of playing the stoic victim, a la Mrs. Vitter and Mrs. Spitzer and Mrs. Clinton, the wife is going to join her 'disgraced' husband at the press conference and they're going to announce that they have an open relationship. And Megan's head will explode."

-- Columnist Dan Savage, lambasting Megan McArdle and pundits like her who deign to speak for and express convenient solidarity with Anthony Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin