Scarborough Secures Imus' Seat

HEIR ABHORENT Scarborough, Imus (inset)

Strap on your holsters and ten-gallon hats cowpoke, there's a new Imus in town. Former congressmen and unabashed right-winger Joe Scarborough is reportedly set to take the reins of Morning Joe in Don Imus's coveted 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. slot on MSNBC.

As Scarborough's filled in for Imus (who may or may not be returning to his radio show) in the months since the grizzled shock-jock's deplorable comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, he's been the presumed heir since the get-go. But in officially handing him the slot, has MSNBC found a replacement that's any less a potential liability than Imus was?

Scarborough most recently took it on the chin from bloggers on both the left and right for implying that Fred Thompson's younger wife would feel at home on the stripper's pole. But that was hardly the first time the PC police have gone after him. Scarborough's a regular subject on media-watching sites like News Busters and Media Matters for his semi-offensive, often-misogynistic rants and has even earned the honored distinction of Misogynist of the Day.

Together with a history of a dead intern found in his congressional office (no foul play was ever established by authorities) and his often incendiary tactics, MSNBC may well have, for better or worse, found a shock jock worthy of filling the I-Man's boots.

Ed note, 7/5/07: Language was added to clarify Scarborough's involvement, or lack thereof, in the death of an intern in his office. Also, while Scarborough is the most likely choice to replace Imus, MSNBC has not made an official announcement.—T.Gray