Over the weekend, conservative provocateur, Twitter troll and Weekly Standard boss Bill Kristol teased us with a tweet declaring , “Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate–an impressive one, with a strong team and a real chance.”

The “player to be named later” turned out to be an anti-climactic one, David French . Considering the names that had been bandied about to lead Kristol’s crusade — Mitt Romney, former Sen. Tom Coburn , Sen. Ben Sasse — this was an unsatisfying dénouement. Having over-promised with flashy trailers, Kristol released what might be the biggest summer flop since Water World trickled into theaters.

It’s not that French doesn’t have much to recommend him; he does. He’s a terrific and eloquent writer, a decorated veteran and a constitutional lawyer. I’d love to have him as a colleague or a neighbor. What he is not, however, is a serious presidential contender.