Truesee's Daily Wonder

 

Tony Gutierrez/AP

 

Former president George W. Bush makes opening remarks at a conference at Southern Methodist University in April.

Despite claims of keeping a low profile, W has been crisscrossing the globe over the past two years, giving talks at hundreds of events, conferences and forums – to anyone, it appears, willing to pony up for his reportedly boffo asking price.

No. 43's standard speaking fee is reportedly between $100,000 and $150,000, and Bush has delivered almost 140 paid talks since leaving the Oval Office, the Center for Public Integrity reported.

"I find it puzzling," Stanford University historian Robert Dallek told the center's iWatch News. "He says he wants to keep a low profile. What is he doing except enriching himself?

"It sounds like it's self-serving," he added. "It's following the good old American adage to make as much as you can."

Bush told GQ magazine in 2007 that he planned on hitting the speaker circuit, just like his old man, who he said made more than $50,000 to $75,000 a speech.

But he's also been adamant about his privacy, repeatedly snubbing invites to high profile events and keeping mum about his opinions of his successor, President Obama.

Earlier this month, Obama invited Bush to join him at a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero after Osama Bin Laden was killed, but Bush declined, saying he wanted to stay out of the public eye.

Later that week, Bush gave a speech at a hedge fund conference in Las Vegas, a PGA event in Florida and a gathering of bankers from UBS in New York, according to iWatch News.

Bush's trips also include trips to China, Korea and Canada.

W isn't blazing any trails with his new gig as a multimillion-dollar MC; former Presidents Clinton, H.W. Bush and Reagan all gave talks for cash.

Clinton, in particular, takes the title of Gabber-in-Chief. Bubba reportedly earned $65 million in fees from 2001 to 2009, according to a review of Hillary Clinton's books.

Bush has agreed to speak at the ceremony at Ground Zero to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, but he won't be paid for it.