If you’re like me and can’t stand preachy, liberal blowhards, you may have breathed a sigh of relief last week upon reading Nick Kristof’s treacly farewell column in the New York Times. The relief, though sweet, might have been tempered by the news that Kristof has plans to venture even further afield of his skill set: he’s running for governor of Oregon.

The farewell column is accompanied by a photo showing Kristof with an earnest and well-meaning expression, holding a notebook, with a black child and some rundown shacks as background scenery. I didn’t think his own sendoff did him justice, so I thought I’d revisit some of his career highlights.

He’s been an impassioned cheerleader for global capitalism, even at its worst, as well as a mirror of ruling-class pathologies.