On tonight's episode of The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly asked Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer to weigh in on the presidential prospects of potential Republican challengers to President Obama - specifically, those of Fox News' own Sarah Palin.

O'Reilly asked Krauthammer why Palin is polling so far behind President Obama, as compared to other candidates like Mitt Romney and her Fox co-worker, Mike Huckabee. While initially, Krauthammer suggested that her lack of support was caused, in part because “the media's contributed enormously” to the “unprecedented” level of “animus to her,” he focused the majority of his criticism on the way she has handled herself during her stint in the political spotlight. Watch:

Krauthammer remarked specifically on Palin's infamous interview with Katie Couric, noting that it was not a “gotcha interview” and that she was asked “fairly simple questions.” While Krauthammer “would have hoped” that Palin would “spend the next years sort of getting really deep into policy” even though “it sounds really dull,” he points out that this has not been the case.

Instead of studying up on policy, she has spent time, as Krauthammer notes, putting herself “out there,” earning millions in free publicity by logging hours on Fox News.

Krauthammer is hardly the first Fox contributor to knock Palin's credentials. Karl Rove is a frequent critic and has questioned Palin's recent foray into reality television, suggesting that she lacked the “certain level of gravitas” required in a presidential candidate. Fellow Fox News contributor Morton Kondracke agreed with Rove and even told Media Matters' Joe Strupp that he thinks Palin is “a joke.”

The year may be winding down, but the Fox News primary is certainly heating up.