FBDC has learned former MSNBC senior political correspondent Tucker Carlson is joining the Cato Institute as a senior fellow. He'll begin there by writing a book on the "state of American polity."

From the release, "I've admired the Cato Institute since I first read its publications, passed around like samizdat on my college campus," said Carlson of his new affiliation. "When I moved to Washington, I discovered that my impression of Cato had been right: The people I met there were some of the smartest, bravest and most interesting in the city. While others are blinded by expedience or group think, Cato stands on principle, always. I'm honored to be affiliated with it."

Cato founder and president Ed Crane: "Tucker Carlson is one of the most effective communicators of libertarian ideas in the nation."