Anthony Weiner: Not running for office - for now
(CBS News) Despite recent talk of a possible political reemergence, former New York congressman Anthony Weiner insists he has no political comeback planned - at least for the moment.
Weiner, who resigned from Congress last summer following a drawn-out scandal over the discovery that he had been sending lewd pictures to women on the Internet, has come under the spotlight anew, after a New York Post story last weekend alleged he was "seriously" considering a mayoral bid in 2013.
A New York Times story followed up that assertion, citing friends who said Weiner longs for a second chance in politics.
Asked about a possible mayoral bid earlier this week, Weiner told the Wall Street Journal, "It's a clown story, bro."
And in a recent interview with People Magazine, slated to hit newsstands Friday, Weiner dismissed the notion that he's eying outgoing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's job.
"I can't say absolutely that I will never run for public office again, but I'm very happy in my present life. I'm not doing anything to plan a campaign," Weiner told People.
The congressman, who was joined in the interview by his wife, Huma Abedin, deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, emphasized that at the moment, he's more focused on raising his son than rehashing his political demise.
"I've had enormous regrets about what I put Huma through, how I let my constituents down," he said. "But it's not like I sit all day replaying it through my mind. With a baby, it is pretty easy to put things into perspective."
Abedin, who was pregnant with the couple's first child at the time the scandal unfolded, said that "it took a lot of work" but that these days, "We're a normal family."
"Anthony has spent every day since then trying to be the best dad and husband he can be," she said. "I'm proud to be married to him."
