Ben Affleck officially dismisses Senate run

• "I am not running for office," the actor wrote on his Facebook page.
• The actor played coy when asked if he'd run recently in Washington.

Mr. Affleck's not going to Washington.

Ben Affleck took a few minutes away from the eggnog to set one fact straight: he's not running for Senate.

Why the confusion? The actor-turned-director played coy when Face the Nation's Bob Schieffer asked him the question during his recent visit to Washington to testify on security in Congo.

On Christmas Eve, the Boston native decided to take his name out of the gossip cycle.

"I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office," the Argo director wrote on his Facebook page. "Right now it's a privilege to spend my time working with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), supporting our veterans, drawing attention to the great many who go hungry in the U.S. everyday and using filmmaking to entertain and foster discussion about issues like our relationship to Iran."

Who does he think would best fill John Kerry's seat, should he become secretary of State? Affleck (whose latest film is on a fast-track to the Oscars) isn't saying. "We are about to get a great Secretary of State and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate seat," said Affleck. "I look forward to an amazing campaign. Happy Holidays to All."