The premiere of Bill Kristol’s New York Times column, unsurprisingly, leaves much to be desired. It seems that in the face of so much frothing anticipation, Kristol opted for the kind of ordinary primary season piece that’s dominated op-ed pages in recent weeks (ok, months). If you’re looking for the Kristol we all love to hate, look elsewhere.

Instead of doing anything interesting, Kristol, like many conservatives, bemoans the slim pickings in the Republican primary. Worried that a Democratic president would, among other things, "snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory in Iraq," Kristol tries to build up Huckabee as a looming threat that Democrats are too dumb to understand. But instead of selling the candidate, he offers up a very safe “maybe he is, maybe he isn’t” argument about Huckabee’s chances as the Republicans’ strongest nominee.

Despite its unoriginal thesis, it’s worth reading just to say you did. Check it out here.