It’s a rare day in New York — except for Sept. 11, 2001 — when the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Daily News agree on anything. Today the op ed pages in all three newspapers say that disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner must drop out of the New York mayoral race. Weiner’s compulsive texting problem didn’t stop when he was busted in 2011; and it’s not clear exactly when it did stop.

“Weiner’s dishonest, impulse-driven psyche is once more stripped as naked as the images of his texted private parts”, writes the Daily News.

Many people — and especially women — are taking a second, confused look at Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin, who addressed the couple’s marital troubles in their joint press conference. Hillary Clinton’s ‘second daughter’ — previously an accomplished and sympathetic figure — is now cast as a potential enabler in a “partnership of ambition”.

Just three months ago, prior to Weiner's joining the New York City mayor's race, the couple appeared in a New York Times profile by Jonathan van Meter, who asked Abedin why she stayed with Weiner after his first texting expose, that lead to his resignation from Congress. For background, the couple first met when Hillary Clinton became a New York senator in 2001. They were good friends long before they became husband and wife in 2010, with Bill Clinton officiating. Huma explained:

When I asked how long it took for her to think she might be able to get over what her husband did, she said, "That’s a really good question," and then took a minute. "At the time, we were very early in our marriage, but it was an old friendship. He was my best friend. In addition to that, I loved him. There was a deep love there, but it was coupled with a tremendous feeling of betrayal. It took a lot of work, both mentally and in the way we engage with each other, for me to get to a place where I said: ‘O.K., I’m in. I’m staying in this marriage.’ Here was a man I respected, I loved, was the father of this child inside of me, and he was asking me for a second chance. And I’m not going to say that was an easy or fast decision that I made. It’s been almost two years now. I did spend a lot of time saying and thinking: ‘I. Don’t. Understand.’ And it took a long time to be able to sit on a couch next to Anthony and say, ‘O.K., I understand and I forgive.’ It was the right choice for me. I didn’t make it lightly."

Pepper Schwartz lends insights into Huma Abedin’s actions, saying: “Her steadfastness is hard to watch though. She doesn’t deserve this, and he doesn’t deserve her.”

Hillary's Second Daughter

It's impossible to understand Huma Abedin, who prides herself on being a very private person, without considering her within the orbit of Hillary Clinton.

“Huma Abedin has the energy of a woman in her 20s, the confidence of a woman in her 30s, the experience of a woman in her 40s and the grace of a woman in her 50s,” Clinton told Vogue. “She is timeless, her combination of poise, kindness, and intelligence are matchless, and I am lucky to have had her on my team for a decade now.”

Hillary’s Secret Weapon: Huma Abedin Vogue August, 2007

“Both Hillary and Huma are extraordinary people who are also workaholics,” says Oscar de la Renta, who has often hosted the two at his house in the Dominican Republic. “The E-mailing! It never stops. I tell Hillary, ‘Just because you are working in the sun, that doesn’t make it a vacation.’ They are lucky to have found each other.”

A US-born Muslim fluent in Arabic, Abedin grew up in Saudi Arabia. Her Islamic scholar father founded an institute fostering religious understanding between East and West. Her professor mother helped create one of the first private women’s colleges in the country.

Huma attended George Washington University, where she became an intern to Hillary Clinton, then First Lady. When Hillary Clinton became a senator from New York State, Huma joined her team as an adviser on Middle East policy. By this time, her reputation as a workaholic was well-established.

The two became inseparable during Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential run, which she lost to Sen. Barack Obama. Huma became effectively Hillary's "body woman" and traveling chief of staff. When Hillary Clinton became Secy of State, Huma was her deputy chief of staff, traveling the world with her and tending to her every need.

A Second Disgrace

Huma Abedin has come full circle, enduring the humiliation of a second texting bust with her husband.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on Wednesday had sharp words for mayoral race competitor Anthony Weiner, calling Weiner’s campaign as “the circus”. Quinn called Weiner’s presence “a disservice to New Yorkers who are looking for someone who has the judgment and maturity to lead this City and a record of actually delivering real results for them.”

“Before Anthony Weiner came along, we used to have forums on issues like stop and frisk, on issues like paid sick days… health care, things that really mattered to people,” candidate Bill de Blasio said. “But since Anthony Weiner entered this race, good luck finding education or health care or jobs or paid sick days or stop and frisk on the front pages.”