George Bush Talks About Sarah Palin on Oprah

George Bush faces the big question: Does Sarah Palin have the chops to be President?

Oprah asks, "Do you think that Sarah Palin is the one?"

"I am not a political pundit. A lot is going to happen between now and the nominating process. I have no clue," replied President Bush.

The former President was diplomatic about Palin during his big interview with Oprah, promoting his new book, Decision Points. But behind the scenes, a Bush pal tells the New York Daily News, "He thinks John McCain ran a lousy campaign with an unqualified running mate and destroyed any chance of winning by picking Palin. Naming Palin makes Bush think less of McCain as a man."

In the Oprah interview, which airs next Tuesday, Bush refrained from criticizing President Obama.

"I'm through with politics," he said.

Oprah asks, "Is that why you haven't commented on Obama?"

"I want to treat my successor the way I would have liked to been treated. I don't think it's good for a former President to be pining over every issue. He's got a tough job. Trust me. He has plenty of critics he doesn't need me criticizing him, " Bush replied.

But in private, he's said to strike a much tougher tone. "He thinks Obama has failed as a President," reports the Daily News.

And President Obama, who just left for his 10-day trip to India and Asia, is no longer number one on Forbes magazine's list of the world's most powerful people. The new guy, at least according to Forbes, is the President of China. Obama has slipped to number two.