Jewish and Islamic 'Elements'

You've noticed my comments on the phrase "elements" when I comment on the mixed marriage notices I catch at the NYTimes.

What 'elements' will there be here:

After years as one of Washington's most eligible bachelors, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn, Queens) is engaged to Huma Abedin, a glamorous top aide to Secretary of State Clinton.

A source close to the couple confirmed that Weiner, 44, proposed to Abedin, 33, over Memorial Day weekend.

No date's been set, but the power couple is "thrilled" about the upcoming nuptials, the source said.

So is another woman in Weiner's life.

"I think it's wonderful," the pol's mother, Fran, told the Daily News. "She's lovely. What more can I say?"

She said it wasn't clear how their wedding ceremony might accommodate the pair's different faiths. Weiner, a staunch defender of Israel in Congress, is Jewish; Abedin is Muslim.

...Abedin was born in Michigan to a Pakistani mother and an Indian father. She grew up in Saudi Arabia and attended college in the United States.

Weiner Seeks Hubba-hubba Huma

Rep. Anthony Weiner, a likely 2009 mayoral candidate, is pouring his heart into Hillary Clinton's White House bid - literally.

Weiner, whose district includes parts of Queens and Brooklyn, finally 'fessed that he is romancing Clinton's glamorous "body woman," Huma Abedin.

Asked by The Associated Press about all the time he's spending on the road campaigning for Clinton, the 43-year-old bachelor said, "It's largely because I'm dating Huma."

The whispers have been around for months, but until yesterday Weiner ducked questions about Abedin, saying his personal life was off limits.

Though she posed recently for a glamorous photo spread in Vogue, Abedin, 32, is famously press-shy.

The New York Observer, in a long profile last year, called her "a sort of mythical figure" who never has a hair out of place or a wrinkle in her Prada suit and can hush a crowd of rambunctious reporters with a single look.

"I think there's some dispute as to whether Huma's actually human or not," an admiring Weiner said then.

Abedin was born in Michigan to a Pakistani mother and an Indian father and was raised in Saudi Arabia.

So, Huma, will it be a chuppa or will Abedin suffer a "honor killing"?

Huma, Huma, Hubba

The rumors about Huma Abedin and Hillary are increasing. Back in April we read that:-

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...“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.”...“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.”

...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.”...“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.”

Pam at Atlas Shrugs thinks there's a Saudi Arabian link that's dangerous.