Howard Kurtz is rooting for Weiner

Whether it's by way of an actual political comeback or simply more time in the national spotlight, it is clear media critic Howard Kurtz wants more Anthony Weiner.

Chiming in on New York Times Magazine's weepy interview with Weiner, Kurtz Writes on CNN.com, "The political press will judge the article based on whether Weiner can convince voters that he should be given, as he put it, a 'second chance.' And why shouldn't they?" He adds: "While Weiner made a terrible mistake in initially lying about what happened, his is a sex scandal that involved no actual sex. If Mark Sanford, who snuck off to his Argentinian lover, can win the GOP nomination for his old House seat in South Carolina and if Bill Clinton can be a revered elder statesman, is Weiner beyond redemption?"

And later... "The reporter was well aware that Weiner was using him and the Times to salvage his political career. But [he] nonetheless produced a remarkable piece of journalism. Can the movie version be far behind?"

As news of Weiner's Twitter-crotch photo scandal came out in 2011, Kurtz was one of the last to hop on to cover it. "To twerps demanding I cover Anthony Weiner Twitter scandal," he wrote at the time, "[the] whole thing appears to be faked. Sometimes it pays to wait for the facts."

@eScarry