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George W. Bush may have stepped away from the political spotlight, but he seems to have won the popular (audience) vote � on Tuesday's The Tonight Show. The former president stopped by to chat with Jay Leno, matching wits with the host as he unfurled a series of off-the-cuff zingers that left both Leno and his audience in stitches. Case in point: When the host asked why he finally accepted Leno's invitation to return to the show (this was his fourth appearance on it), a deadpan Bush, 67, slyly jabbed at Leno's upcoming exit from the show. "You're about to head out to pasture � just wanted to see what you looked like before you got to the gate," Bush cracked. The former commander in chief also admitted he doesn't miss the limelight � "eight years of the spotlight is enough" � and explained why he remains largely mum on issues of public policy. "I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor," Bush, whose wife, Laura Bush, also joined her husband at one point during the interview. So what keeps the former president busy these days? Painting � lots of it. Bush showed off some of his own artwork (fond of painting his pets, he signs his works "43") and even brought Leno a personal present: a portrait of the host that he painted. "There's a Rembrandt trapped in this body," he recalled telling his painting teacher once. "Your job is to find it." He also gushed about the newest addition to the Bush clan: 7-month-old granddaughter Mila Hager, the daughter of Jenna Bush Hager and husband Henry Hager. "It was a little slow at first because the kid didn't say much," Bush joked when asked about being a first-time grandparent. But a moment later, Bush appeared to get pensive, nodded his head and quietly said, "I'm hooked."