December 20, 2012

Photo Credit: Chris Usher/CBS News    

Ben Affleck discusses the possibility of running for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in an interview with Bob Schieffer that will be broadcast Sunday, Dec. 23 on FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER (10:30 AM, check local listings) on the CBS Television Network.

Affleck is an actor, director and political activist who founded the Eastern Congo initiative TAKE PIXS. He appeared before the House Armed Services Committee this week to discuss the horrific situation in Congo, the site of the deadliest conflict since World War II.

Click here to watch an excerpt of the interview. A transcript is below.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Have you ever thought about running for public office yourself? Because the reason I say that, this week with mentions of John Kerry being possibly the next Secretary of State, or at least nominated for that, some people have actually written that maybe Ben Affleck ought to run for that seat.

BEN AFFLECK: Well, for one thing, the state of Massachusetts currently has two extraordinary senators, so there is no -- there is no vacancy.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well it might be, though. What if there is?

BEN AFFLECK: Well, one never knows. I’m not one to get into conjecture. I do have a great fondness and admiration for the political process in this country. It’s a big deal for me to come down here and be on your show that I've watched so much, but I’m not going to get into speculation about my political future. I like to be involved. Right now, I’m really happy being involved from the outside in government, advocating for the Congolese, taking this movie that I made, “Argo,” and it’s really become a springboard for dialogue about our relationship with Iran, which is, you know, as Hillary Clinton said, the most pressing foreign policy issue today. So, I got a lot on my plate.

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CBS News’ FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER is the #1 Sunday morning public affairs show. FACE THE NATION is broadcast on Sundays at 10:30 AM, ET (check local listings) on the CBS Television Network. Mary Hager is the Executive Producer. FACE THE NATION is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television. It premiered on CBS on Nov. 7, 1954. The program broadcasts from Washington, D.C., where Schieffer has spent more than 40 years covering government and politics. He has anchored FACE THE NATION since 1991. Guests include government leaders, politicians and global figures in the news.

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