Discussing Sen. Hillary Clinton's decision to remain in the presidential race, MSNBC senior campaign correspondent Tucker Carlson, during the May 27 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, said of Clinton, “Look, she's a trapped animal, there's absolutely no question about it. As I've thought to myself many times, if you've ever tried to get your cat in a box, you know what Hillary Clinton is doing right now.” Carlson then imitated a screeching cat, and added, “with all four paws out, all the hair standing up? Look, she is in feral mode.” After co-host Mika Brzezinski said, “I don't know what to say,” and guest co-host Mike Barnicle said, “Tucker Carlson, ladies and gentlemen,” Carlson asserted, “And I say that as a compliment, I admire her tenacity. I do.” Brzezinski then said, “I'd just like to point out, I have scars from trying to do that to one of the cats that I own,” to which Carlson replied, “OK, then you know how [Sen. Barack] Obama feels.” Later in the segment, Brzezinski referred to Clinton as “the cat in a box, as Tucker so aptly put it.”

Later on Morning Joe, Carlson also compared Clinton to “the drunk party guest who won't go home, the cab's idling out front, and she's opening a new bottle of wine.” He added: “And the hosts of the party, the press and the Democratic establishment, want her to go home, and she won't.” At the conclusion of that segment, Carlson's last on that day's program, Brzezinski asked Carlson to “do the cat in the box thing just one more time before you go. Who's the cat in the box?” Carlson complied, again imitating a screeching cat.

As Media Matters for America noted, on the April 22 edition of MSNBC Live, guest host David Shuster presented to Carlson “a Hillary laughing pen” -- a pen shaped in the likeness of Clinton's head with a mouth that moves as the pen makes a laughing noise. In response, Carlson stated: “I can't tell you, David, how much I appreciate this, how much I appreciate your going through Chris' mail while he's gone and how much I'm really going to miss that cackle. I hope it goes on forever. It's brought light to my life.”

From the May 27 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

BARNICLE: Let's get back to Senator Clinton. What about this aspect of her campaign: How much credence do you put in the theory that some hold that in her heart of hearts, as a political person, as a politician, she knows that this is it, in terms of her and the presidency, this is the last, best, only shot she's ever going to have at it?

CARLSON: Look, she's a trapped animal, there's absolutely no question about it. As I've thought to myself many times, if you've ever tried to get your cat in a box, you know what Hillary Clinton is doing right now. [Screeching cat noise], with all four paws out, all the hair standing up? Look, she is in feral mode.

BRZEZINSKI: I don't know what to say.

CARLSON: This is true, you know this is true.

BARNICLE: Tucker Carlson, ladies and gentlemen.

CARLSON: And I say that as a compliment, I admire her tenacity. I do.

BRZEZINSKI: I'd just like to point out, I have scars from trying to do that to one of the cats that I own.

CARLSON: Yes. OK, then you know how Obama feels right now.

[...]

BARNICLE: Tucker, Tucker, I will max out to you right now for you and your campaign, I'll max out to you if you commit right now to choosing Mike Gravel as your vice presidential candidate.

CARLSON: See, I couldn't do it, there are so many great Liber -- I'm thinking Alan Greenspan, actually, another great Libertarian. No, actually, I am a Libertarian, and no, I'm not running, I never was running, but it's kind of a great idea. Maybe I will someday.

WILLIE GEIST (co-host): I just have to say, I think you could take Bob Barr, that's just me.

BRZEZINSKI: Very cute.

CARLSON: He won it.

BRZEZINSKI: Very cute. All right. Well, right now the candidates are Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, the cat in a box as Tucker so aptly put it, and John McCain. And the Republican and the Democratic front-runners definitely going at each other on foreign policy, we'll have a lot more to talk about that, the editorials are great today.

[...]

CARLSON: Hillary Clinton, as I've said many times, is the drunk party guest who won't go home, the cab's idling out front, and she's opening a new bottle of wine. And the hosts --

BRZEZINSKI: Wow.

CARLSON: That's exactly right. And the hosts of the party, the press and the Democratic establishment, want her to go home, and she won't.

BRZEZINSKI: I -- you know what? Tucker --

BARNICLE: So we've gone from a cat to a drunk party guest.

BRZEZINSKI: I am sorry. I think that's just just too far. That's just not true.

BARNICLE: That's Tucker Carlson, ladies and gentlemen.

BRZEZINSKI: Our love for Barack Obama? Tucker. I just, I--

CARLSON: Of course it's true.

BRZEZINSKI: Oh, come on.

CARLSON: Everybody in the press loves him. Mika you know that. Look into your heart, you know that's true.

BRZEZINSKI: All right, do the cat in the box thing just one more time before you go. Who's the cat in the box?

CARLSON: [Screeching cat noise]