Liberals snickered at Tucker Carlson after his 2004 questioning of Jon Stewart on Crossfire. Now conservatives are booing the MSNBC talking head for praising the New York Times. Maybe he wants a column?

The left-leaning newspaper is, after all, still looking for someone to replace former conservative columnist William Kristol. TV personality Carlson would be an unexpected choice, but having lost his MSNBC and CNN shows — MSNBC still lists the gay-beating right-winger as a "Senior Campaign Corespondent" — he's got a lot of time on his hands.

Maybe Carlson is trying to show the Times he can tame his conservatism. More likely: He enjoys getting an easy rise out of yet another crowd.