Do Conservatives Think Bush Is an Idiot?

Increasingly they do, according to this Wash Post account, which leads with former conservative congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) turned little-watched cable yak show host:

For 10 minutes, the talk show host grilled his guests about whether "George Bush's mental weakness is damaging America's credibility at home and abroad." For 10 minutes, the caption across the bottom of the television screen read, "IS BUSH AN 'IDIOT'?"

But the host was no liberal media elitist. It was Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman turned MSNBC political pundit. And his answer to the captioned question was hardly "no." While other presidents have been called stupid, Scarborough said: "I think George Bush is in a league by himself. I don't think he has the intellectual depth as these other people."

Among the other cons suggesting that, while Bush might not be an idiot, he's really screwing the pooch in Iraq: Rich Lowry, Bill Buckley, and George Will. Still in the prez's corner (at least with regard to Iraq): Norman Podhoretz and Fred Barnes.

Whole thing here.