Bush's mystery bulge (Salon.com)

[zzapatista]

Let me know if someone already posted this.

Bush's mystery bulge

The rumor is flying around the globe. Was the president wired during the first debate?

Oct. 8, 2004 | Was President Bush literally channeling Karl Rove in his first debate with John Kerry? That's the latest rumor flooding the Internet, unleashed last week in the wake of an image caught by a television camera during the Miami debate. The image shows a large solid object between Bush's shoulder blades as he leans over the lectern and faces moderator Jim Lehrer.

The president is not known to wear a back brace, and it's safe to say he wasn't packing. So was the bulge under his well-tailored jacket a hidden receiver, picking up transmissions from someone offstage feeding the president answers through a hidden earpiece? Did the device explain why the normally ramrod-straight president seemed hunched over during much of the debate?

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/08/bulge/index_np.html

[daleo]

1. Let me finish!

He was talking to Rove, I guess. Does this constitute cheating, by the agreed rules of the debate?

[zzapatista]

5. picture

[UpInArms]

38. if you blow that up in Photoshop,

you can see the trail of the cord running up to his right ear - and see the line at the base of his hair.

Looks like a wire to me.

I was also curious when he stated (at the beginning of speaking) "Let me finish" as no one else was talking or had questioned him or interrupted him.

[Occulus]

43. You can also see the cord running up his shoulder

He needs to be blasted on this. Lying, cheating BASTARD!!!!

[MaryH]

66. That's his hotline to God.

[crossroads]

161. LOL!

:bounce:

[Chico Man]

83. Here is the blown up image

[Pastiche423]

79. Lighter shot of his bulge...

[louis-t]

94. 'Man-ssiere'

or 'Bro' if you prefer.

[leQ]

124. up until now, i thought someone had done a photoshop job on it

since the explanation for it seems aloof, why won't they just tell us what it is.

[leQ]

125. up until now, i thought someone had done a photoshop job on it

since the explanation for it seems aloof, why won't they just tell us what it is.

[wackywill]

140. While watching the debate with my son I said

"looks like Bush is wearing a bullet proof vest". We made a couple of jokes about it but gave it no more consideration.

[RadioFlyer]

149. It looks like...

...a bulletproof vest to me. Battery packs for wireless mikes go at the beltline in the back, not in the middle of the back.

[Cheswick2.0]

171. but this is not a wireless mic

I have worn them and thought the same thing. However if this is a wirless receiver he would not have wanted to wear it in front for fear it could be seen when his jacket gapped open. However the wire would then have to run up over his shoulder to be aimed at the little ear piece.

[txindy]

172. Isn't that what looks to be snaking up his right shoulder in the picture?

A wire, I mean, aimed at the ear piece. :shrug: Not that it helped him much. So,... Here's to an encore Wednesday night! :toast:

[ismnotwasm]

78. May that bulge

is just his folded up bat wings. Wonder how he hides his horns though?

[lakemonster11]

84. Of course it does.

[study_war_no_more]

153. dere aint nodamn rules

[Carla in Ca]

162. Here is the ear piece, an 'earwig'

[booksenkatz]

2. If that's how he performs when he's receiving assistance...

then he, and the United States, is worse off than I thought.
:scared:

[Rose Siding]

4. It was *superb* assistance

[mourningdove92]

25. Hey patsified, guess what? I have an autograph by Patsy Cline.

I am showing my age here, but back in the 60's, my family and I went to all the country and western shows. My mother kept an autograph book that we added to each one we went to. I have Patsy, Jim Reeves, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Cowboy Copas, Marty Robbins, Little Jimmie Dickens etc, etc, etc. I have the book stored in a special frame that hangs on my wall, open, of course to the autograph of the immortal Patsy Cline. What a wonder she was.

[booksenkatz]

64. Me too!

I'm not really into country music too much, I came to Patsy thru her pop side. She could do everything... sure was one of a kind!

(Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.);)

[Chico Man]

3. Here is the pic

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I am also wondering about the "mystery bulge" in his flight suit.

I don't think it was a radio transmitter, but it certainly wasn't his, er, shriveled, raisin-like anatomy.

[Catfight]

13. ROFLMAO! that is a mystery bulge! nt

[JCMach1]

51. Is this the one you are talking about

:evilgrin:



http://www.thesyndrome.com/archives/00000344.htm

[latebloomer]

58. Is that a roll of toilet paper in your crotch

Or are you just happy to see us?

[Lisa]

87. so that's where he stashed his airsickness bag!

There's been speculation at DU over Georgie being reluctant to fly because of fear issues. But somehow I assumed that he would have left his used barf bags on the plane.

[eridani]

146. The mundane explanation--

http://www.liberalslant.com/wdj052003.htm

"Look at the tough way he walks - no, dare I say - struts across the flight deck! What a guy! What a real man!" Yeah, well you'd "strut" like that too if you were too stupid to release your parachute harness crotch straps like the other real pilots did. Oh well, c'est la vie!

[crossroads]

130. LOL!!! Good Photo!

:dem:

[TroglodyteScholar]

142. Upon closer inspection...

Bush's mystery bulge IS IN FACT Karl Rove. Look at this picture where I enlarged the area in question:

[leftofthedial]

63. that was Karen Huge's head n/t

[Paradise]

163. lol ;) n/t

[Chico Man]

7. It's Cheney's hand! (nt)

[crossroads]

133. LOL Good one!!! n/t

:dem:

[tom_paine]

8. I sit possible that he could have performed that badly WITH HELP?

Possible, but that would mean Karl Rove is far more cruel than he is intelligent and animal cunning.

sadly, my opinion is that he shares those traist in equal measure.

But it certainly is withing the level of Orwellian Corruption displayed by his Imperial Stooges.

[zzapatista]

10. Does seem hard to believe but...

there is actually audio out there where you can hear a voice giving him his lines. A CNN (i believe) camera accidentally picked up the signal and broadcast it.

[maxsolomon]

17. that could be faked

i'm sorry to say it, but it could be. if it was a prerocorded report, why wouldn't that audio have been caught?

[zzapatista]

34. There is audio... (link provided)

http://www.canofun.com/blog/videos/BushAndTheOddSync.wmv

[noisefloor]

80. Most likely an error from the audio engineers desk

I just watched the video clip with the double voice, as a person in the audio/video production industry. My opinion is what we heard was a telephone feed to the main production studio from the remote location.
There is a satellite delay when broadcasting over that kind of distance and often an additional delay to keep things in sync and on time for the broadcast. The producers were probably communicating by phone through the audio production desk (so everyone involved can hear), and they simply did not mute the phone line and accidentally broadcasted both audio feeds together.

[reprobate]

88. Possible, but after three listens I disagree.

The electronic voice had a different timbre and a different rythm. Pauses were in different places. Didn't recognise the voice, but I haven't heard rove's voice often. Wasn't cheney.

[Cheswick2.0]

173. ti is his voice reading the speech to himself

so that he is just repeating himself. That way he understands and can not mistake what is being said.
I have often wondered about his halting speaking style. I also wondered why he was willing to speak in public and seemed to get better at is sometime in his 2nd year.

[progressivebydesign]

97. I listened MANY times.. it's not the same words..

.. Bush added an "and" and a "well", I believe. I listened to it yesterday, and the pauses were different, and he added a few qualifiers. It was taken live.. so I think somehow it got picked up on the mic.. It's not the same person, doesn't have the drawl. Sounded like cheney, actually

[Paradise]

165. yup, different words and it sounded like cheney. n/t

[Joanne98]

71. Do you have the link?

[AndyTiedye]

26. Bad Reception?

During some of those long pauses he sure looked as if he was straining
to hear something. I think that his "help" may have been inaudible some
of the time, leaving him to flop about helplessly.

[Paradise]

164. it's called 'aphasia'. n/t

[InhaleToTheChief]

9. Link with lots of info

Check it out:
http://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/

[Pale_Rider]

33. Who is this Ted guy?

http://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/

A poster to another blog relayed what he felt was an additional piece of evidence that Bush used an off-camera advisor:

...during the part of the debate about Kim Jung Il, Bush addressed someone named "Ted". Who is this "Ted" that Bush was talking to? ...This would be explained if Bush had an earpiece and was speaking to his "handler".

Is this true? I checked the MSNBC transcript of the debate and could find no reference to a "Ted." However, the transcriber might well have glided over a seeming non-sequitur.

Can anybody who has some free time on their hands check some of the video of the debate?

[mrbassman03]

11. Great article...

But I really wonder what the backlash would be if it came out that he would be cheating on the debate. Actually, I'm wondering about the law when it comes to this. Could he be punished for this? Or would it just be something to change the minds of voters?

[Iceburg]

21. The republicans would laud him ....

say he's smart 'nough to know he's stupid, and courageous enough to "do sompin about it"

[InhaleToTheChief]

12. Another link

http://www.isbushwired.com/

[crossroads]

136. Hmmm

:dem:

[Lorien]

14. This needs to be forwarded to the major news media

the issue isn't so much that he needed help (and STILL did so badly), but that he may have broken the rules of the debate.

[Iceburg]

27. I sent this package to Keith Olbermann this morning ..

feel free to sent it to your favourite messengers
Letter to Keith

[Child_Of_Isis]

145. Keith brought it up this evening.

He asked one of the talking Bushites about it.

[InhaleToTheChief]

15. Personally, I think it could be devastating to him...

If definitive proof comes out, this could be his death blow. Like if someone captures actual earpiece audio at the next debate (or the last one for that matter). Legality aside, it makes George looks like the petty liar that he is in a simple way that all Americans can understand. Forget the WMD stuff, the guy can't even talk on his own despite all the blustering about "You know exactly where I stand".

Do, YOU know where you stand, George?

[xyboymil]

16. It certainly looks looks like a receiver but could it be a bullet proof..

vest? Trauma plates almost always sit on the front of a bullet proof vest but some have manufactured ones on the backs as well.

Could it be that?

Christ Almighty! As bad as he did at the 1st debate, can you imagine how he would have done without advice being piped into his ear??

[zzapatista]

18. I'd agree but damn there's actually audio out there where you can hear the

phantom voice in his ear.

[goclark]

48. Then why didn't Kerry have one?

He is just as important as Bush.

If they were in a secured area, Bush would not need one if Kerry did not.

It does not hardly look like one to me.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

100. Probably because it was Bush's idea and not necessary

Given that this is the first time in four years that he's been in front of people who haven't pledged loyalty to him, he was probably terrified.

[VaYallaDawg]

117. That's what had him rolling his eyes and jumping

up and down like he had just pissed his pants. Afraid of anybody he can't totally control!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

110. These guys spend HUGE amounts of money to look good

in front of the camera. I cannot believe Shrubby's image consultant would have allowed this to go by, unless he had something under his jacket that very few people were supposed to know about...and his IC wasn't one of them.

I didn't notice anything like that on Cheney after the VP debates were over, and there was an opportunity to see his back.

[Paradise]

168. bush was dictating the rules and

there was a rule that there not be any video, photographs of their backs. evidently, someone overrode the rules.

[MetaTrope]

19. Actually, Bush's masters have reached such a point of desperation

that they have to strap an explosive device on him to force him to perform.

[BrotherBuzz]

52. LOL

Works for me. :thumbsup:

[young_at_heart]

20. Why did he say, "Let me finish"?

His time was not up and no one was telling him to hurry....VERY suspicious!

[zzapatista]

22. The best result may be forcing him to not use an earpiece tonight.

He has been using this scheme for every public appearance in 4 years. It will be just another thing that he hasn't had to deal with until the debates.

[MARALE]

23. I think he was wired, but

It didn't work very well. That is why he looked pissed and lost a lot of the time. I think he was relying on that when he went to debate, but somehow the signal was garbled. He had to perform on mostly his own intelligence.

[rocktivity]

24. He sure kept ACTING as though he was wired

Especially when he cocked his head as if he were listening to something else, as I've seen him do many times. It's been suggested that since an earplug would be too obvious, something's been implanted in his ear. Also, keep in mind the that Bush camp did not have complete control of the facilities this time. What if the hearing device simply didn't work, kept sputtering in and out, thus leaving him on his own?

:headbang:
rocknation

[ArnoldLayne]

28. That's pretty sad he can't think enough to

give his own answers to questions asked to him. He has to rely on somebody off stage to feed him the answers.

[neomonkey]

29. I've been thinking about this, so many questions.

Assuming, just assuming, Idiot King is wired (and I do have my doubts). I would think this would light the fire of fear under his handlers. How will they respond in tonight's debate?

Will they remain undeterred and attempt to continue wiring Shrub but try to cover all their tracks (and bulges) a little more thoroughly?

Will they realize it's not worth the trouble and turn him loose on his own?

Why on earth did he perform so badly in the first debate if in fact he was wired? That is the source of my skepticism. I can't imagine the puppeteer sitting there in the wings repeating "it's hard work" into Shrub's ear over and over. Were there technical problems? Did Shrub suddenly find the safety net ripped?

I would think that wires and bulges can be much more conspicuous in tonight's debate format. The two candidates are in a free-form floating environment, nothing to hide behind. We shall see.

Eyes are watching.

[GinaMaria]

36. tonights debate/town hall style he has the question ahead

of time. IIRC, the questions by 'the people' have been prescreened and approved. the candidates have them ahead of time and can prepare campaign speaches. It should not be called a debate in my opinion.

The bloggers have been following the wire story. There were some pics of an ear piece, another with the rectangular box between the shoulder blades and more disturbing are comments about his debating skills 10 years ago. It has been suggested that his debating skills 10 years ago were strong and he is degenerating. The hypothesis is that he has a pre-alzhiemers dimentia. :shrug:

If they are right, no amount of prep on the questions will help him.

[neomonkey]

39. Prescreened?

Wow, I didn't know that.

You're right, if that is the case, this event tonight has NO business being called a "debate."

[kath]

115. None of them should be called debates.

The format bears no resemblance even to what high school debate teams do, much less to the Lincoln-Douglas debates, etc. More like a joint press conference, or some such. Hubby said he heard one pundit or columnist say that they should be referred to as "The Presidential Presentations".

[MGKrebs]

61. That is NOT what Charlie Gibson said this morning.

He said that HE (Charlie) would see the questions early today, and pick out the ones to be used, but that neither candidate would see them.

[GinaMaria]

81. Thanks!

So the moderator sees the questions. That's much better. Thanks for the clarification.

Hope Charlie picks equally tough questions for both.

[wackywill]

141. I heard that Charlie was given 140

questions this morning and has to wittle them down to 20 for the "debate".

[mike_c]

92. my understanding is that questions are NOT pre-screened...

...and that the moderator won't even know what they are until just prior to the debate.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

99. They will be prescreened

But I don't know how much in advance and I don't think the candidates will know what they are. If an audience member deviates from their screened question they will be interrupted. It's to try and raise the quality of the questions and to prevent hecklers. Hopefully they will still be hard-hitting questions.

[mike_c]

120. yes, prescreened in that sense....

NPR did a story on this this AM and reported that audience members will arrive with questions and that will be the first that anyone has seen their questions, but that the moderator is charged with "screening" to insure that a balanced selection of questions is asked, i.e. 20 variations on "Why are you such a lame-assed wanker, Mr Bush?" will not be allowed. The report emphasized that the CANDIDATES will not have any prior knowledge of the questions.

[progressivebydesign]

98. No.. the candidates don't have the question... unless they cheated.

The askers are chosen by Gallup (yah, them!), to be people that were "soft"on their candidate of choice. Because Gallup sayz that no one is undecided anymore.. that they chose people who have chosen THEIR candidate, but said they may be interested in the other candidate. Sounds like bullshit to me.. since the freeper types have perfected that rap already.. pretending to be a Kerry supporter that likes Bush.

Anyhoo... The questions are all written by the askers. They are prescreened by Charlie Gibson and he chooses which ones to let them ask. The askers have to be ready to jump up and ask, as they have no idea whose questions will be approved to use. The mics will cut off immediately after the question is asked, so the asker cannot clarify or ask a follow up. I think that is kind of bullshit.. as Kerry likes to ask questions to clarify what is being asked.. as in a TOWN HALL MEETING FORMAT, perhaps (oh, the irony).

So.. supposedly only Gibson sees the questions. He gets to choose which ones are asked (which is kind of bullshit). I don't know anything about Gibson.. I assume he's your typical lightweight morning talk show guy? Any proof of bias either way??

[kath]

116. So, how much of a Mediawhore is this Gibson guy? Does he fellate Chimpy on

a regular basis, as most of them do?

[JoFerret]

137. Pre-senile dementia

.

[havocmom]

76. Those devices that jam cell phones - could something like that have

interfered? heh heh heh, let us hope so.

Didn't DUer Stephanie post a year or so that she could actually hear some audio coming from the pResident at an appearance or something.

We know they use the ear piece. And we know he has access to all the top secret toys in the US arsenal. They stole the election in 2000; do not doubt they would cheat in a debate.

[malachi]

30. Ramrod straight, my ass. He has the barroom lean working for him

any time he is near a podium. I know, I have the lean working for me.

[onehandle]

31. Will the media talk about this "crazy rumor"?

If this was Kerry, they'd be all over it.

[zzapatista]

32. Pics of the earpiece he uses. (edited)

Edit: can't get pic to work but go here
http://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/
and scroll down

[Barrett808]

35. This link is broken, and I'm really interested! n/t

[leftchick]

55. here is the link to the photo.....

I'm not sure if that is a ear piece or just funky ears...

[bearfan454]

56. here

and

[jokerman93]

37. what if...

What if Bush really was wired? And what if Kerry's operatives knew - and helped jam the signal?

What if both campaigns are now fully aware there is an all-out political war going on in this country. What if the stakes were higher even than us DUers realize at the moment?

I find these things to be possible - even probable considering the immense resources and the decades of preparation that have gone into solidifying BFEE power in the white house...

[txindy]

170. Agreed. The stakes are enormous

I posted elsewhere that I believe *'s signal in the first debate was periodically, perhaps even inadvertently, jammed. I also believe that no one in the Kerry campaign would benefit from pointing to a possible receiver until AFTER the third debate is over. The Senator is cleaning the floor with *, even if he had help! Personally, I'd wait for the third debate, jam his signal, win the debate handily anyway, and then let the chips fall where they may about *'s cheating. I've won all the debates while he had help. Checkmate. ;)

[VegasWolf]

40. This "bulge" is damn sure not his little peashooter!

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[lakercub]

42. Let it go

If that is how he performs wired...STAY WIRED, George!!! It worked, really it did...you should do it again.

He was incompetent beyond belief (which I thoroughly enjoyed).
It would be interesting to see just how bad he is unwired though. The man is clearly the least intelligent president our history has ever known.

[VegasWolf]

47. No, the reference is to his "manly endowments" according to

the West Texas party girls who derisively called him "peashooter"
because of his small size.

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[VegasWolf]

50. BTW, his physical endowments match his mental endowments and

he is uniquely suited to be a cheerleader.

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[Carolab]

160. you mean

"The West Texas Party Girls for Truth"?

[PotatoBoy]

41. You guys are overanalyzing this. This almost requires tin foil

As much as I'd like to believe Georgey boy was cheating by having a wire to Rove, I don't think that's the case. I've seen other campaigns where he's addressing the audience, and he says "let me finish" out of nowhere, even though no one is interrupting him. I think he's just losing his mind, that's all.

[will work 4 food]

45. In the Bible

there is a passage in revelations. Something to the effect of the antichrist having a "puppet" that would speak for him. I'm not up on revelations as I should be, but I know that this is indeed there. Perhaps one of you is better educated in this area.

[RaleighNCDUer]

62. So who's that make the puppet master? Cheney? Rev. Moon?

[daleo]

46. That might just mean he is usually wired

I agree with the part about him losing his mind.

[Heidi]

60. It's obviously a methadone pump . . .

they don't require aluminum foil. Losing his mind? That's present tense.

[VegasWolf]

73. I was thinking morphine pump!

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[sybylla]

129. Probably talking to one of the voices in his head.

I could be convinced he's psychotic.

[truth2power]

134. LOL! Occam's Razor.

"I think he's just losing his mind, that's all." :silly:

[xfundy]

44. It was JESUS talking to him!

Jesus told him to invade Iraq, too.

[SiouxJ]

49. Well if he wears one tonight, Kerry ought to go yank it out

on camera. Just stroll over and yank it out, or wait until the end and do it during the handshake.

[lakemonster11]

93. That would be sweet.

Can you imagine how loud the audience's gasps would be? Ninety minutes of listening to Bush stumble and mispronounce and then Kerry yanks the receiver out of his ear! Bush would try to strangle him!

[cliss]

53. Now consider what this does to your self-esteem.

BeetleBrain knows he has no choice. His caretakers have no confidence in his speaking abilities or his reasoning faculties. They gave him an F- a long time ago.

Just think about what this would do to your self-image. As he's standing there, sweating about having to show up for YET ANOTHER debate which he doesn't want to do. He stands there with his arms outstretched so they can clip on his listening device and the transmitter that sits on his back.

They test it out beforehand, to make sure it works properly. George has to go to another room, and the little voice in his ear tells him WHAT TO SAY.

They tutor him on how to tune out everything else (this was really easy for him) and just focus on the little voice in his head.

I would feel like a pile of warm dog-crap, pure and simple. Just imagine, to be at the mercy of technology and other people. What if they screw up? Or he accidentally pulls the wire out of his ear?

NOBODY can be successful under conditions like this. They can never rely on their wit or come up with sparkling answers. The best they can hope for is to tread water and not drown. A winnder does not need to act like this.

IT'S THE WAY OF LOSERS.

[SoCalDem]

54. I have said this for YEARS..

The cadence of his speech is totally different from when he's just riffing on his own..

Karen or Karl is feeding him lines.. He screwed up so badly, because there was a 2 minute limit, and either they didn't tal;k fast enough...or he cannot remember anything that long :)

[Love Bug]

57. It's his Borg implant!

[SoCalDem]

59. Cellphones & microphones were JAMMED before/during the debates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2443232


SoCalDem (1000+ posts) Sat Oct-02-04 05:17 PM
Original message
Cellphone and remote microphones were "jammed" before/during debate?

Edited on Sat Oct-02-04 05:18 PM by SoCalDem
I looked here, and did not see this.. On my way home today, I heard on 90.7 FM (here in LA area) someone who was discussing the debates. I got in after it started, so I don't know who the guy was,but anyway...

He was saying that in the few days before the debates, they were all yakking it up on their cell phones, and paging each other and using personal microphones to stay in contact..BUT... about an hour before the debate, NO ONE COULD GET ANY signal for ANY device..

They asked, and got for an answer..

I wonder if the * earpiece required that all other signals be blocked...

When I got home, I tried to listen to the rest of the segment, but I cannot find the manual for my new stereo, and could not figure out how to change the stations

I would really hate to think that he was being coached, considering the dismal performance he gave, but.....

It would explain ONE thing.. The "answers" were no more than 2 minutes long, and by the time someone (Karen??) fed him the answers, his time would have been pretty much..up..

[RaleighNCDUer]

65. Earpiece wouldn't require the other signals be blocked,

but how would it look if one of these other devices picked up the signal? If someone chatting with his girlfriend suddenly picked up Rove saying "These are dangerous times, which require hard work"?

[SoCalDem]

67. That's PRECISELY why I think the others were jammed

Early in his term, there was SOME kind of message intercepted..That's what started this whole thing about the earpiece..It was just a few words, but people started buzzing about it..

[JPZenger]

68. Can Rove Drink Water While Bush Speaks?

I think they should make Karl Rove drink a glass of water whenever Bush is speaking.


"Remember, Cheney is the real President. Bush is just the touring company."
- Randy Rhodes, Air America

[zzapatista]

75. Cameras did pick up the signal there's a link above. You can hear a...

different voice saying everything before Bush does. They actually broadcast it i believe.

[MGKrebs]

70. I think it would be very hard to do this.

Kerry is yakking in one ear, Rove or somebody is trying to give a response in realtime in the other ear, Shrubbie can't help but try and pay attention to the lights, the moderator, his thirst, his having to pee, and then repeat the response. It really shows some serious desperation if they resorted to this. Surely they would have practiced, and knew it was troublesome, but would have decided to go forward anyway. Wow.

And I didn't give much credence to this at first, but in that picture, you can see what looks like a wire going up to his collar. Why that would even be (surely they would be wireless?), I don't know, but what else could it be?

[SoCalDem]

72. Maybe that's why they practiced so hard..

and yes it would be "hard work" to do it..that's why he failed so badly..

The 2 minute limit was probably something he thought he could "get around", and when he founhd out he could not, it really freaked him out,:)..Maybe he was getting "transmissions" while he was grimacing and smirking during the times kerry was talking....and then he forgot what he was supposed to say when it was his turn:)

[loftycity]

85. Maybe (Oh, I wish) that *would puke just like his Daddy did

in the Japanense Prime Minister's lap. I think it's time. We are all over due for a Presidental Internationally Televised Puke.

[TahitiNut]

101. What if he puked on the floor and ....

... something in the puke crawled away? :evilgrin:

[hippiechick]

82. It also explains why his answers were so limited and repetitive

... he wasn't answering the questions before him in detail or specifics, he was mouthing talking points that they kept feeding him.

But personally I don't think he's coordinated enough to multi-task at that level without a MAJOR faux pas.

:evilgrin:

:hippie:

[prayin4rain]

69. Gotta love that headline ; )

[Matilda]

74. Hey, this is really scary stuff when you think about it.

It sure looks and sounds as if someone's feeding him info, but think
of all the implications - a "President" so dumb and hopeless he
can't be trusted to speak by himself, coached and manipulated by
shadowy people who have their own agenda, pulling a gigantic swindle
on the American public, and on the world for that matter.

This is really getting close to some sort of robot-president
scenario - if it's true, surely it's the height of cynicism - and
what does it say about the motives and the real agenda of the
people who are manipulating this ridiculous glove-puppet?

And isn't it frightening to think that the kind of people who would
plan this and carry it out are really running the show?

[punpirate]

112. We had eight years of the same thing...

... with Reagan. Just a little lower tech... 3x5 cards, instead of wires.... :P

[AlFrankenFan]

77. That could explain it...first thought I think: "he's pregnant"

:P n/t

[bushisanidiot]

86. AWOL's positioning on stage when before and after the "debate" was

suspiscious if you ask me. AWOL walked across the stage VERY quickly to greet Kerry and would NOT let Kerry behind him. Afterward AWOL tried to avoid having his back to Kerry when they were in close quarters.

Anyone have a screen shot of AWOL after the debate with his family with his back to the camera?

[Joanne98]

90. Maybe this is why his tie was crooked

Remember the freeper who thought Kerry delibertly pulled Bush's tie out of place with his handshake? lol

[Chicago Democrat]

89. I predicted this a LONG TIME AGO! Why the hell aren't the DEMS

FUCKING JAMMING THE SIGNAL?!!!

Jesus!

[lakemonster11]

95. Maybe they did.

That would explain the debate.

[Chicago Democrat]

103. I hope so lakemonster11! that helped, thanks!

:)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

107. Kerry's pen...

James Bond style signal jammer? He seemed to use it with such glee! :D

[Barrett808]

108. Nice. n/t

[Chicago Democrat]

126. God I hope so!!!

:)

[Lisa]

91. it was his wallet, stuffed with kickbacks from Halliburton

Being somewhat paranoid, he wanted to keep it somewhere on his person at all times in case someone pilfered it (hey, with guys like Dick Cheney around, who wouldn't be concerned). And even George W. realized that if he walked onstage with a huge lopsided bulge in his pocket, someone would notice. He was watching the Bruce Willis "Die Hard" movie just the night before, and voila, a brainwave! He duct-taped the billfold between his shoulderblades, under his jacket. (Because that's where Bruce's character hid his gun.)

[Nordic]

96. oh good grief. It was probably this:

I work in media production and here's what it probably was:

It was a presidential debate, right?

So the sound guys think "hm, what happens if something goes wrong with the podium microphones? What do we do for backup?"

So both Kerry and Bush were probably rigged with wireless mics in their suits, so that if the podium microphones went out, they could switch over to the wireless.

That's probably all it was.

Years ago, Paula Abdul was performing in the music video awards. They rigged her with a microphone, with the transmitter in the small of her back right above her ass. It made her look "fat" and that's all anybody could talk about. It was right before she went on tour, and she freaked out about it. A good friend of mine was working on the tour, and it was a big deal for them. I think she actually went anorexic for a while in part because of this.

In a media event such as this it would be very difficult for the him to rig himself up with such a device and it wouldn't be hidden from anybody.

If he did have some kind of surreptitious device, it would have been completely hidden in his ear.

And if he did have a device, he would have done a whole lot better than he did.

[Barrett808]

102. Seems plausible. Do we have pictures of Kerry's back at the debate?

Shouldn't be too hard to confirm or refute this theory.

[zzapatista]

104. The actual earpiece is some sort of fancy wireless deal and he did have 2

mics on the front of his suit which some suggest is the reason the "receiver" (or whatever it may have been) was on his back. It may turn out to be bs but we know he has used this kind of thing before (he even got caught using one in a press conference) plus the repugs were adament about there being a rule against cameras showing the candidates backs. There may be another explanation but damn if it's not a little fishy.

[Logansquare]

119. According to the debate MOU, both candidates had wireless mikes

So that is a plausible explanation.
See p.24 of the memorandum of understanding:
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/election2004/debates2004mou.pdf

[TEXASYANKEE]

122. That makes sense.

Seriously, if people are thinking that Bush is reacting like William Hurt's airheaded journalists' character (Broadcast News) while Holly Hunter was cramming factual tidbits in his ear ... remember this is Bush we're talking about. I'm not saying that it's totally out of the realm of possibility, I just don't see how it's practical. And I don't think Bush has the natural intelligence to pull it off.

[crossroads]

131. Right, nobody could cheat *and* suck that bad!

:dem:

[Barrett808]

135. The Salon story says "no electronic devices on the president or Kerry"

For what it's worth:

An official for the Commission on Presidential Debates, which set up the lecterns and microphones on the Miami stage, said the condition was indeed real, the result of negotiations by both campaigns. Yet that didn't stop Fox from setting up cameras behind Bush and Kerry. The official said that "microphones were mounted on lecterns, and the commission put no electronic devices on the president or Senator Kerry." When asked about the bulge on Bush's back, the official said, "I don't know what that was."

[Logansquare]

148. The actual document (see my post above) says that they *do* have wireless

mike attached in case of main mike failure. Believe me, I would love to catch the Chimp on something like this, but the accusation is not based on good evidence. The bulge could have been a wireless mike transmitter.

[Dover]

155. so why didn't the White House just say that when asked?

They said he wasn't wearing a receiver and that he wasn't wearing a bulletproof jacket. So why didn't they say it was a backup mic?

[zzapatista]

105. Bush camp comments on mystery bulge (Salon.com latest)

Source: Salon.com

I love this. Am tempted to say, 'I cannot confirm or deny,' and let the story get some legs," McKinnon responded by email to O'Connor's inquiry. (As a top media operative for Bush, McKinnon should probably know that the story has already run a marathon through the blogosphere.) "Or, how about, 'Since we put the metal plate in his head, we have had some measure of success with audio transmissions to the President.' Or, 'Yeah, but it clearly broke down during the debate.' Unfortunately, the truth is not nearly as interesting. The answer is, 'The President has never been assisted by any audio signal.'"

While McKinnon was not without a sense of humor in denying the existence of any audio aid, it's intriguing that he said nothing about what that odd little bulge actually might have been.

With an official denial now on record, O'Connor wonders if anyone who can prove otherwise will step forward: "Any media professionals -- like the 'top Washington editor for Reuters' who reportedly told 'isbushwired' last spring that 'Sure, Bush uses an earpiece sometimes. State of the Union -- he had an earpiece for that. Everybody knows it.' -- please identify yourselves."

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html

[daleo]

106. Key weasel phrase here is "assisted by"

A non-denial denial. They would probably claim he wasn't being assisted, just staying in touch in case there is a terrorist attack, or something equally preposterous.

[zzapatista]

114. Maybe they slip the earpiece in his ear at night and then just tell him...

it's his conscience.

[Lorien]

109. This has been going on for years

Listen to the pauses between his sentences; thet're always as long as the sentence that follows.

[spinbaby]

111. I'd swear there was another photo of the bulge

Right after the debate I remember seeing a photo of * slouching off stage and noticed the square bulge on his back. I remember thinking how beaten up and defeated he looked and wondered what that weird bulge could be.

But I can't find the photo now. Can anyone else find it? Surely it wasn't a figment of my imagination.

[Iceburg]

139. Go to c-span and view the video

according to the UK Guardian its visable around the 23 minute mark

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/salon/0,14779,1323334,00.html
The rumour is flying around the globe.

[Name removed]

113. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Voltaire99]

118. Easy: it's where the wind-up key goes. (n/t)

[DesEtoiles]

121. Is the bulge like the lava dome on Mt. St. Helens?

[ciaobox]

123. Guardian UK, Reuters Picks up Earpiecegate

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/salon/0,14779,1323334,00.html

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041008/wr_nm/campaign_blogs_dc_2
(scroll down)

[lovuian]

127. Oh Wow I bet he did

"So what was it? Jacob McKenna, a spyware expert and the owner of the Spy Store, a high-tech surveillance shop in Spokane, Washington, looked at the Bush image on his computer monitor. "There's certainly something on his back, and it appears to be electronic," he said. McKenna said that, given its shape, the bulge could be the inductor portion of a two-way push-to-talk system. McKenna noted that such a system makes use of a tiny microchip-based earplug radio that is pushed way down into the ear canal, where it is virtually invisible. He also said a weak signal could be scrambled and be undetected by another broadcaster."

I like this paragraph from the guardian

[Emillereid]

128. I saw the bulge three different times during the first debate --

and kept commenting on it to the others at my debate party. I swear the cameraman was deliberately trying to reveal it to us.

Has anyone actually showed the WH a picture and have them tell us what it was -- if it's not an ear piece????

[Roland99]

132. I'm beginning to think it may be just a shadow

[MADem]

143. It sticks out too much

Some GOP moron on MSNBC just said it was his "backbone." No wonder he doesn't want a physical...he's got adult onset scoliosis in a big way!

[daleo]

138. What about some kind of chimp anatomy thing?

Has anyone considered that this may be something quite natural to the species? I plan to review "Planet of the Apes" for clues.

[JoFerret]

144. Bush's tailor shoots down the rumor (Knight-Ridder)

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9872062.htm

[lovuian]

147. They showed us Sattelite pics of WMD and you believe his

tailor.......Just look on the picture its right there

[truthisfreedom]

156. his tailor is FRENCH. his chef is FRENCH. he's surrounded by FRENCH.

French-lover. 8^)

[zzapatista]

150. Any bulge tonight? nt

[dqueue]

151. no pics, but...

We noticed odd creases at some points early on tonight. Moreso, it appeared to be body armor... something with suspender-like straps. I don't have an easy tivo-to-mpeg path, unfortunately. I can try to get some rough timings tomorrow. I tivo'd MSNBC, fwiw.

[drb]

152. It's the left sock...

...the right one he used to stuff his flightsuit.

[jackieforthedems]

154. It's Probably

his bullet proof vest.

[Matilda]

157. But all the guesses as to other causes of the bulge don't explain

the second voice.

It was clearly two different voices, not an echo. How does the
WH explain that?

[dkhbrit]

158. BBC have this story too

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3730364.stm

[Jack_DeLeon]

159. Bullet proof vest...

[Lorien]

166. WH says he wasn't wearing one

see "Salon: the bulge gets bigger" in LBN.

[Jack_DeLeon]

175. So?

The White House denies alot of things, still it seems more reasonable that it is a bullet proof vest.

Why the fuck would they stick a boxy transmitter on his back?

Its a vest.

[wiswrong]

167. The pucker thing can't be true

The tailor apparently said that the pucker was accentuated by Bush crossing his arms and moving forward. If you look at the BBC picture, the act of crossing his arms and moving forward would have had the effect of smoothing out anything in Bush's back - making the fabric more taught -- not bunching it up. That's why we see the object more clearly in those poses than in the others.

I challenge the Bush administration to take one of this tailor's vanilla suits (that was made before the debates) and put it on someone, have them cross their arms and move forward, and make any similar appearances on the person's back.

The fact that they are trying to "fabricate" (pun intended) this makes innocent explanations (wireless mic, body armor, etc.) much less likely.

- w is wrong

[tuvor]

169. The White House has denied that it was a bulletproof vest.

But they still won't explain what it was.

It was so obviously there, and had to be created by something. That they're "laughing it off" just allows for rumors to spread. Which is fine with me, don't get me wrong!

[Jack_DeLeon]

176. just because...

they deny something doesnt mean its not true.

[bamacrat]

174. Monkey boy

do you see how he stands in that picture he looks like a neanderthal, they should have wispered to him in his ear to "cmon on cmon boy play human play human, now speak"