Is George W. Bush smart?

Former President George W. Bush was never known as a particularly brainy commander in chief. His frequent verbal missteps became a defining aspect of his presidency, and "Bushisms" — meaning, politely, a malapropism coined by the president — spawned numerous books and countless "Best of" lists.

But what if Bush, for all his outward appearances, is actually quite smart?

On Wednesday, Keith Hennessey, a former Bush economics aide, posted a long column called "George W. Bush is smarter than you," defending his old boss. Hennessey claims that, contrary to popular belief, Bush was deeply involved in White House decision-making and often wowed his advisers with his knowledge. Hennessey claims that a biased media painted him, unfairly, as a buffoon.

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Here's Hennessey:

The argument that Bush is much smarter in private has caught on elsewhere — or at least that the press created the impression that Bush isn't the brightest crayon in the box.

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein, without going so far as to say that Bush is a genius, concedes that he's probably "pretty smart." You have to have some brains to become president, he argues, and Bush's perceived failings are more the result of misguided policy than sheer stupidity.

Given Bush's less than stellar legacy — historians have ranked him as one of the worst presidents ever — there are, unsurprisingly, some who have a far less rosy image of his mental faculties. New York's Jonathan Chait, in an exhaustive takedown of Bush defenders, says that while the mockery of Bush's poor speaking skills did go too far, the former president's inability to articulate his policies "bore all the hallmarks of a highly simplistic mind."

"I see only evidence of a man who not only lacks the ability to think analytically but disdains the very notion of it," he adds.

Others have focused more on the specific points Hennessey uses to reach his ultimate pronouncement on Bush's intelligence. Mother Jones' Kevin Drum — while noting that he believes Bush is "reasonably smart" — picked apart Hennessey's individual arguments, saying they were indicative not of intelligence, but of other personality traits.

Slate's Matthew Yglesias offered a similar take, saying the defense highlighted a debate not about whether Bush is smart, but about what he chose to prioritize while in office and why.