MSNBC's Joe Scarborough had hoped that when NBC kicked David Gregory to the curb, that he might land the moderator job at Meet The Press.

He did not.

That job went to Beltway Boy Chuck Todd, but NBC did throw Scarborough a bone. This morning NBC announced that Scarborough has been named a senior political analyst for NBC News and a regular contributor to "Meet the Press".

In a statement, new "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd called Scarborough "one of the best political minds in the NBC family."

“His love of politics and passion for debate will guarantee the kind of robust conversation that has always been a hallmark of Meet the Press, and I look forward to the reported analysis he'll bring to the table," Todd said.

“This is a guy who is on the phone a lot. If I thought Joe was just pontificating, I wouldn’t have him on," Todd said.

H/T Politico