The New Republic launches its new biweekly format this week, and it sounds...as uninspired as the magazine has been in recent years (despite this big wet kiss from the Times, which writes of the magazine's "bold idea").

The magazine has an odd painting of Barack Obama on the cover, and its controversial article alleges that Dick Cheney's intelligence may have been affected by his heart problems.

An article saying that Dick Cheney isn't the brightest bulb in the book. It's a provocative piece, but it comes late in the day; that article would have been controversial, oh, back in the 2000 presidential campaign.

You know what would be controversial now? Seriously. An article, written in the context of Cheney's recent health problems, saying that it would be good for the country if Cheney died. (Bill Maher recently made pretty much this argument on his terrific HBO show.) That would stir up a storm.

The magazine also includes a "gentle 'gotcha'" about David Sedaris, and pieces by Michael Lewis on "a post-Katrina visit to his childhood vacation home in Mississippi" and Andrew Sullivan trashing D'Nesh D'Souza's new book, which blames the American cultural left for 9/11. Not exactly a sacred cow. And I don't know about you, but if I read another writer going home to post-Katrina fill-in-the-blank, I'm going to scream.

Michael and Andrew are great writers, but these assignments feel predictable and lazy.

TNR editor Franklin Foer talks about the ongoing relevance of print journalism, and that's fine, and, I hope, correct. But at the same time, he needs to recognize that eht journalistic envelope is being pushed by bloggers and non-print media like Maher's show. What is candid and courageous for TNR is yesterday's news in the world beyond its pages.