Dean Gets CNBC Gig

Former Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean is set to become a regular CNBC contributor, the Huffington Post reports—but his appointment had nothing to do with current attacks on the business network, an insider said. “This was in the works long before the Jon Stewart stuff,” a source says “but it will be good for our side to have him on.”

Dean, 60, began his new job with an appearance today as a guest host. CNBC has been a target for economic anger after the station failed “to report or foresee much of today’s economic crisis,” writes Sam Stein. Dean has worked on Wall Street but has attacked business practices tied to the recession—so he may be “a refreshing presence” on the network, Stein adds. (More television stories.)