10 Questions for Joe Scarborough

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Co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough

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What surprised you most about the 2008 election? Stephen Vivona ANN ARBOR, MICH.

That Barack Obama won. I never, ever assumed that a first-term Senator who had only served in the Senate for a year before deciding to run for President would be able to raise more money than the Clinton machine.

Should Morning Joe be wary of politics fatigue after such a long presidential campaign? Mike Kennedy WATERFORD, CONN.

I don't think so. We're about to enter a new era where people are going to be more excited about politics than probably any time since John Kennedy became President. I suspect the first year of the Obama Administration is going to be like nothing we've seen in quite some time.

What is life like as the lead conservative on MSNBC? Dustin A. Campbell HOPKINSVILLE, KY.

[Laughs.] They keep us separated. They put me in a cage after I get off the air. No, as long as I'm fair, I don't think there's a problem at all. I will say that when I started in 2003, nobody spoke to me for six months. I was a strange man in a strange land.

Have you had to moderate your politics to host your show? Travis Hornsby PENSACOLA, FLA.

No, I haven't at all. It's interesting: I've been accused by Republicans of moderating. Sometimes I will actually be called a liberal. But my criticism's been of the way the Bush Administration and the Republican Party have handled power over the past eight years. It's taken about that long for a lot of conservatives to come up to me and say, "Yeah, I know we called you a traitor in 2004, but let's let bygones be bygones."

What do Republicans have to do to recapture their conservative roots? David Veigel, VIRGINIA BEACH

They've got to keep their word. Either you're for a smaller, less intrusive government or you're not. They've got to return to first principles. What they need to stand for is limited government, fiscal responsibility, and they need to be focused on staying out of people's lives.

Will you run for office again? Suze Camo, MARLBORO, N.J.

Not right now. I think I'll leave it to Chris Matthews to figure out whether or not he wants to jump in the [Pennsylvania] Senate race. Right now I'm having a lot more influence on the national debate than I did as a member of Congress. But you never know what's going to happen down the road.

Doesn't the confrontation on cable news promote division rather than bipartisanship? Jerry Fisher WALNUT CREEK, CALIF.

It depends on what type of show you want to do. What we've created on Morning Joe is a safe house of ideas, where everyone can come in and say what they want. They know they're going to be treated with respect.

Has your competitor Fox News seen its best days pass? David Timmerman SHULLSBURG, WIS.

Fox News has always been underestimated from the very beginning. But if you want to use the past eight years as a road map for who's going to succeed over the next eight, it looks pretty good for MSNBC.

What was with all the drama between the MSNBC anchors at the conventions? Heather McDonald TAMPA, FLA.

Everybody has a high level of respect for each other, but sometimes, like in any family, you talk politics and it gets a little heated. MSNBC right now is a free marketplace of ideas where everybody's invited and opinions clash. But all's well that ends well.

Do you really need that seven-second delay? Can't you control your F-bombs? Larry Dreiling, HAYS, KANS.

Yes, I need it. I asked for the seven-second delay because we want everybody to remain relaxed on the set, and after that [incident], everybody was looking over their shoulder. Now, if anyone says something offensive, they can push the big red button. The Joe button.