CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who has largely avoided the public eye of late, said in a rare interview Saturday that he is a public servant, not a perfect one, and didn't rule out a future run at higher office.

Jackson, who has been dogged by links to the corruption case against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and questions about his own relationship with a female "social acquaintance," told The Associated Press that he continually struggles with his "personal shortcomings."

That includes mending his family relationships over the "immensely personal matter" of the female acquaintance and assessing his political ambitions, which once included Chicago mayor or U.S. senator.

"Every one of us has erred in their personal lives and while I don't claim to be a perfect servant, I'm a public servant," Jackson told the AP. "Often times we carry with us the burdens of our personal shortcomings even as we struggle to articulate and clarify a message that helps other people. That what I dedicated my life to."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JESSE_JACKSON_JR?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Don blame me massa, I'se just a loose niggah!