Former CNN and MSNBC political host, and Dancing with the Stars contestant, Tucker Carlson has joined the Cato Institute as a senior fellow.

"I've admired the Cato Institute since I first read its publications, passed around like samizdat on my college campus," said Carlson. "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."

Carlson will write a book on the state of the American political system. He'll also represent Cato through other writings, media appearances and public speaking engagements.

The Cato institute is a Libertarian think tank established in Washington, DC in 1977.