Is Alec Baldwin the next MSNBC host?

WEDNESDAY, JAN 26, 2011 12:27 ET

According to an anonymous source at the network, MSNBC may be eyeing Alec Baldwin to be its next host

BY ADAM CLARK ESTES

Henny Ray Adams

Actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the first-ever concert by Paul McCartney at Harlem's Apollo Theater in December 2010.

Get your best Jack Donaghy quotes ready: Alec Baldwin may replace Keith Olbermann's star power on MSNBC, according to gossip.

An anonymous inside source at the network told Rob Shuter that the move would make sense. "He's already part of the NBC family, has a huge fan base and is very respected for his long-term passions for politics," said the source. A longtime blogger for the Huffington Post, Baldwin shows a penchant for commentary, is confident on camera, and in one friend's words, believes in "fighting for the rights of everyday people."

Baldwin himself hints at a different path: public office. In a recent appearance on Parker-Spitzer, the one-time submarine-steering actor expressed interest in subverting the Ivy League-dominated political sphere:

I do believe that people want to believe that someone who deeply cares about the middle class -- for whatever reason -- whatever your heritage and your background and so forth -- would like to seek public office.

The Atlantic Wire did a good roundup of opinions on why Baldwin would never cut it as a politician. But a talking head? A narrator on the American condition? He's been there, done that.

• Adam Clark Estes blogs the news for Salon. Email him atace@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @adamclarkestes More:Adam Clark Estes