Weiner’s predicament has already dealt a blow to his political prospects. Long seen as a glib, punchy and perhaps slightly adolescent spinoff of the heavyweight Schumer, he had acquired a level of public seriousness as a leading spokesman for the left. And his marriage last summer to glamorous, trusted Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had the feel of the merger of the two great houses of Clinton and Schumer…

“This just underscores for [New York’s political class] that Anthony would never be a good mayor,” said a senior aide to a member of New York’s congressional delegation…

Of course, the simplest explanation of the scenario is that he had, in fact, tried to send a picture of his genitals to a 21-year-old Washington state college student. Weiner has denied that in public and in private. Two people who spoke to him privately said he had suggested that, as one said, “he took or sent a photo or photos like this at some point — but in this case actually was hacked/set up, perhaps with a posting of one of his own photos or something very similar.”