With wife home, Congress hopes for Weiner exit

WASHINGTON - House Democratic colleagues of scandal-scarred Rep. Anthony Weiner are looking for him to step down this week amid a growing chorus for him to resign. Even President Barack Obama has suggested he should leave.

Adding to the drama, Weiner's pregnant wife, Huma Abedin, returned Wednesday from a trip to Africa with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A fellow member of Weiner's New York Democratic delegation, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, said she's heard from Weiner's friends that the congressman is waiting for his wife to come home before making any decisions about his political future. McCarthy also cited talk among Weiner's friends about the possibility he could resign this week.

Kicking Weiner out is possible, but not easy

"Nobody knows what goes on in a relationship except the two people in it. This will be a tough conversation. His wife has been spared the spectacle of the last two weeks," John Avalon, senior columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, said on "The Early Show" Wednesday.

"This clearly does come down to a family conversation with his wife - a lot of amends to make and healing to do. There is simply no one left in his corner. Everyone has come out and said he should resign."

Weiner is on a temporary leave of absence from Congress, in treatment for an undisclosed disorder at an undisclosed location. He has acknowledged exchanging messages and photos, which ranged from sexually suggestive to explicit, with several women online.

House Democrats huddled behind closed doors Tuesday for their regular party meeting, but they decided against taking action against Weiner in hopes that he'll resign soon.

The House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, reiterated her call for Weiner to quit, saying after the meeting that she wanted to make sure nobody missed her earlier resignation call while members were on a weeklong recess.

Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., said: "I think we should send a strong message to him that he should resign, and let's see what happens. The more of us who say it, the more telling it will be."

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, had been content to let Democrats wrestle with the embarrassing scandal, but when asked Tuesday whether Weiner should resign, he responded, "Yes."

The furor over sexually suggestive photos and other revelations about the 46-year-old congressman has been a distraction for Democrats seeking momentum as they gear up for the 2012 elections. Besides Pelosi, several other Democrats have called for Weiner to quit, including the party chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

It's a rare dilemma for congressional leaders who have forced legions of disgraced colleagues out with the strength of their disapproval alone, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. Florida's former Congressman Mark Foley lasted less than a day after suggestive messages he sent to teenage pages surfaced in 2006.

In fact, Congress has only had to formally vote to expel a member twice since 1900: In 1980, after Congressman Michael Myers of Pennsylvania accepted a bribe in the Abscam scandal; And in 2002, when Ohio's Jim Traficant was convicted of bribery and racketeering.

Members accused of lesser transgressions, like New York's Charles Rangel, often find refuge in ethics investigations.

The ethics investigation process lasts so long, the shock of the original mistake usually wears off by the time their colleagues finally pass judgment.

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank asked for an investigation after his partner's gay escort service run out of their town home came to light in 1989.

Still, Rangel and Frank had more allies than Weiner, whose combative style has often alienated fellow Democrats.