Tucker Carlson Joins Fox News

Pundit Tucker Carlson has celebrated his fortieth birthday and has joined his third cable network, Fox News, as a paid commentator. Tucker Carlson appeared on Fox and Friends Saturday morning to give his views on the news of the day.

Tucker Carlson, known for a signature bow tie at the time, started his television career at CNN where he co-hosted a show called The Spin Room with liberal counterpart Bill Press. Tucker Carlson soon found himself co-hosting CNN's then venerable half hour political argument show, Crossfire. Tucker Carlson's most memorable Crossfire segment was an interview with the Daily Show's John Stewart, who inveighed against shows like Crossfire and was later credited, if that is the phrase, with getting Crossfire cancelled.

Soon after, Tucker Carlson migrated to MSNBC where he hosted an early evening show for three years as one of that network's "token conservatives." It was during his stent at MSNBC that Tucker Carlson gave up the bow tie and began wearing regular neck ties on the air.

Tucker Carlson's contract with MSNBC was not renewed in 2008, leading to his job with his third cable news network, Fox News.

Tucker Carlson has written for a variety of magazines and other media outlets, including The Weekly Standard, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, and the New York Times Magazine. He was once a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, though he was voted off early.

Tucker Carlson is described as a "libertarian" and is somewhat ambivalent in his partisan attachments. Tucker Carlson got into a controversy in 1999 with then Governor George W. Bush when he wrote that Bush mocked then death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker and cursed like a sailor. A Bush spokesman disputed both allegations. Tucker Carlson endorsed John McCain for President in 2000.

Tucker Carlson has been accused of not really being a conservative by other conservatives. Newsbusters said of him, taking note of Carlson's opposition to both then President George W. Bush and the Iraq War, "In any case, Carlson is clearly the kind of conservative MSNBC could love - one who doesn't support the incumbent Republican president and opposes the cornerstone of his foreign policy. It's the same phenomenon that explains Pat Buchanan's ubiquity on MSNBC."

That suggests that, if nothing else, Fox News has itself a new and somewhat unique voice to add commentary to news of the day. His first commentary on Fox and Friends was somewhat conventional. It will be interesting to see what Tucker Carlson's take on the Presidency of Barack Obama, among other things, is.

Sources: Tucker Carlson Turns 40, Moves to Fox News, Brin Stelter, New York Times, May 15th, 2009

MSNBC Conservative: Carlson Didn't Vote For Bush, May Not Support 2008 GOP Candidate, Mark Finklestein, Newsbusters, September 1, 2006