Salon: Technical expert: Bush was wired

[tuvor]

Oct. 13, 2004 | Speculation continues to run wild about President Bush's mystery bulge. Since Friday, when Salon first raised questions about the rectangular bulge that was visible under Bush's suit coat during the presidential debates, many observers in the press and on the Internet have wondered aloud whether the verbally and factually challenged president might be receiving coaching via a hidden electronic device.

Now a technical expert who designs and makes such devices for the U.S. military and private industry tells Salon that he believes the bulge is indeed a transceiver designed to receive electronic signals and transmit them to a hidden earpiece lodged in Bush's ear canal.

"There's no question about it. It's a pretty obvious one -- larger than most because it probably has descrambling capability," said Alex Darbut, technical and business development vice president for Resistance Technology in Arden Hills, Minn. Darbut examined photographs of the president's back taken from the Fox News video feed at the first presidential debate in Coral Gables, Fla., as well as 2002 photos of the president driving and working in a T-shirt on his Crawford ranch, which were posted on the White House Web site.

Darbut speculates that the device the president wears is provided by the Secret Service, noting, "They're not going to have him driving around the countryside on his ranch without being in instant contact with him."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/13/transmitter/

[rumguy]

1. "larger than most because it probably has descrambling capability"

that's what I've been saying all along - that's why he didn't have one of those tiny ones that everyone said he would be using...

[arikara]

25. But what does it descramble

besides his befuddled synapses?

[rumguy]

36. they would have to use a highly sophisticated scrambled signal

they would have to make sure that no one else would be able to pick it up..

[denverbill]

69. Or start telling Bush to say the wrong things. That would be funny! n/t

[cosmicone]

30. Now ..... only if ...

he had something that would unscramble his brain on drugs, we won't have to misunderestimate him, put food on our families and not stop at thinking of new ways to harm ourselves like the terrorists!

[Sterling]

35. me too

some self proclaimed experts told me I was crazy.

[aquart]

2. Uh huh. That could be one reason.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. So then Hitler.........er, I mean.....Bush, CHEATED!

What a suprise! <sarcasm>

:eyes:

[renoray]

4. The most mind boggling thing

is the way the repugs discount the rumor as if it was some sort of Elvis sighting but then never address it. It seems like a stupid thing to let linger, so the explainations are either it is what we think it is, or it is even worse than we think it is and they'd rather us keep thinking it is a mic. Either way, they are blowing this one, and not it is taking on a life of its own all over the various internets.

[Seabiscuit]

13. "the various internets"

SNL mocked * in a skit making fun of his "internets" verbal blunder - with the guy playing * talking about how the thing to do is find a way to get rid of the bad internets and keep the good internets.

Looks like * thinks this "Elvis sighting" story about his being wired and cheating in the debates is nothing more than something circulating on the "bad internets". :)

[area51]

44. also MadTV

MadTV also mocked GW Hoover in a skit & specifically insinuated that he needs some kind of earpiece to receive instructions in order to debate.

[cliss]

31. You're absolutely right. They just deny, whistle, and look

up to the ceiling. Why don't they address it? Do they feel they're creating some kind of mystique around this fool? They MUST know that this story is all over the European press. I read Swedish newspapers, and they all have articles about this. "What's under Bush's jacket?" they all wonder. They're just plain puzzled.

I've read about how Bush has a cadre of Public Relations people who are the ultimate pro's. They spare no expense to get it right with this clown, to present him at his very best.

And now this. And they're not even addressing it. Looks like they're not so professional, after all.

[wrate]

57. Its all over the Mexican Press too! And in the first page. RNC is keeping

it away from the U.S.A. media, no doubt about it, that is why they dismiss this as if though everyone was making a big deal out of NOTHING!!!! They know if people find out their fake president will go down faster than I can say "Assholes"!

[RaRa]

5. As an aside

I saw bits and pieces of Front line tonight and was again flabbergasted at Bush's speech from years ago. He could actually speak.- not with John Kerry's eloquence, but pretty normal and with alot less Texas twang. The fake accent today I understand, but I really wonder what medical condition he's got that has his brain so scrambled. Really - jokes aside - this dude's brain is on the decline.

[tuvor]

6. Here's the link. I think it could sink bush if every American saw it.

http://www.adbuzz.com/bushbuzz.htm

[Nordic]

27. that's pretty good. It could be better

Bush's most damning moment for me was that Tim Russert interview (was it Meet the Press?). He was absolutely incoherent, babbling like a complete idiot.

I wish they'd show that and make the comparison.

Still, the difference is soooooo striking. It's like two different people.

[Spider Jerusalem]

41. He still sounded like an idiot ten years ago..

he spoke more rapidly and didn't stumble as much, but he still mutilated his words and made some verbal gaffes that should be cause for embarrassment in educated company.

[w4rma]

7. Imho, he's gotten confused. Things haven't worked out the way he planned

and he can't figure out how and why following his ideology isn't coming up with the results he expected.

[question everything]

34. I agree. From the Frontline it appeared that he was excited about Texas

when he was campaigning for his dad. But, as many of us suspected, he was pushed into running for president, thought that it was going to be a walk in the garden, like Reagan, go to bed at 10:00 p.m. and let the adults take care of everything. Instead he found himself in his own "Survivor" show, or the "Real World" and regressed into flailing his fists trying to survive.

[KittyWampus]

65. "like Reagan"- Look, Ronald Reagan Was Head Of The Screen

Actors Guild and Governor of a large, populous state.

Reagan was a lot of things which the Left eschews but he was NOT stupid or inept.

Yes, by the time he became POTUS, his mental faculties had begun to diminish.

But he WAS interested in more than sports and drugs unlike Junior.

And he was well acquainted with hard work.

[morcatknits]

8. Bush's Brain

It's called alcoholic encephalopathy. You can keep the alcohol out of the drunk, but you can't put the cells back in the white matter. Stopping doesn't do anything to repair the damage that is already done.

The issue of Bush being wired needs to fire around the Internet (both of them?) like the guard records did. Eventually, someone would talk, and Bush would be discredited. I certainly plan to keep passing it on.

morcatknits

[renoray]

21. Korsakoff's syndrome...

Sam brings it up on Majority Report quite often. The signs are there...

Korsakoff's syndrome is a brain disorder that is usually associated with heavy drinking over a long period. Although it is not strictly speaking a dementia, people with the condition experience loss of short term memory.

Another site describes it as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome...

What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?
Wernicke's encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). It may result from alcohol abuse, dietary deficiencies, prolonged vomiting, eating disorders, or the effects of chemotherapy. Symptoms include mental confusion, vision impairment, stupor, coma, hypothermia, hypotension, and ataxia. Korsakoff's amnesic syndrome-a memory disorder-also results from a deficiency of thiamine, and is associated with alcoholism. The heart, vascular, and nervous system are involved. Symptoms include amnesia, confabulation, attention deficit, disorientation, and vision impairment. The main features of Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome are the impairments in acquiring new information or establishing new memories, and in retrieving previous memories. Although Wernicke’s and Korsakoff’s may appear to be two different disorders, they are generally considered to be different stages of the same disorder, which is called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke’s encephalopathy represents the “acute” phase of the disorder, and Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome represents the "chronic" phase.

[mistertrickster]

76. Dude, that is so true--I've noticed that same thing. Even six years ago,

he was much more lucid. Much less noticable "good ole boy twang" and less pleading whine too.

I guess what they said about drugs messing you up was true in his case . . .

[indigolady]

83. BUSHES BRAIN

I clicked on the link that took me to a page that had a clip from 10 years ago and a clip from the debates. The whole thing should be on TV. People need to see this and think about the implications. He was coherent 10 years ago. I don't agree with what he was saying, but at least it looked like he knew what he was saying.
Do you think his operators have injected a computer chip into his brain? (ala Manchurian candidate)
If someone is giving him lines, they should get some better lines, because the ones he uses makes him sound really really out of it.
I remember when we found out that Reagan had Alzheimer's. It explained so much.
But this situation seems more sinister.

[gumby]

9. There is something very, very wrong with the Dub

Whatever it is, it is on a par with Reagan's dementia.

The press corpse (intentional) knows this but just like with Reagan, they keep it hidden.

The press corpse is indeed the hidden enemy. The "wire" is just the latest in what they know but won't talk about.

[clover]

12. the press fears the wrath of the electorate

and being caught leaving the republican bed, wiping their faces with a rag and gargling with listerine in the washbasin as they pocket their counterfeit twenty-dollar bills. this is the birth of a new media, born from a whore,determined to do better.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. I hate to say I told you so...

But I did. This confirms much of what I have said about what this thing probably is: digitally encrypted, frequency agile and passive induction transducer.

Y'all need to listen to the old folks more. We just seem senile. ;-)

[clover]

14. i LOVE being old, my comrade! (nt)

[clover]

11. this speaks to the greater issue

of the president's health and capacity to process information, as well as the RNC's knee-jerk lying and distraction using the propangandistic tools of sarcasm and humor that feeds on the human fears of shame and appearing foolish. this is indeed the october surprise that hillary clinton hinted at months ago, (although i expect a few more down the line) and i trust that it will work quite well in deflating the hollow authority that has been hounding the world for years. don't let this story die, despite the fears of other progressives who have seen this issue as a distraction. the issue is indeed "distraction," but not at the hands of those who are working to defeat this regime.

[JPace]

15. "provided by the Secret Service"

Is this something new? Did Clinton or Daddy bush
wear these things?

Sounds fishy.

[Ripley]

46. Exactly.

And why do they need to talk to him through a transmitter device while he's joy riding in his pickemup truck? Ever heard of cell phones?

[On the Road]

59. I Think the Pickup Picture is His Shoulderblade

When seen from the side, it looks flat, but doesn't have the straightness and sharp corners that the debate bulge had.

[arikara]

70. Not unless he has a dowager's hump

:D

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

16. Bush "driving around the countryside on his ranch" with a lump and a buzz

Here he is, and they're right...we know that lump coudn't be a spine because he doesn't have one.

[Nordic]

26. well hot damn! There it is in living color!

Nice photo! That's the EXACT SAME THING!

[DoYouEverWonder]

42. Here's some more evidence

Someone posted a link to this pic on another thread. It is directly from the WH website. Again, the rectangle in the back of W's jacket is clear.



Damn, that French tailor. It must be a conspiracy to make W look bad. Even those heavy duty soldier pads that he wears in his suits don't stick out that bad.

[kayell]

60. I wonder how long that will stay up on their site now?

Good find. Time to send this to all the media ASAP. * can't very well claim this is doctored since it's on their site.

The original page that this photo is on is http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/images/20031222-3_b33s4873-515h.html

[Vadem]

72. There it is! I couldn't see it in the other photos but it is very clear..

in your photo. Just take your mouse and trace with the arrow over the lines in the back of his t-shirt and you will see that it is the same size as the rectangular thing from the first debate. Thanks!

[JPace]

17. Watching Frontline made me realize that furious george

was actually coherent when he was younger. Something
is happening to george that is degenerative...he is
fading mentally. I do know that if alcoholics quit
drinking the disease continues to progress, as long
as they are abstinent they are o.k. but if years later
they start to drink again it will react negatively
very fast and they will be as sick as if they had
drank all those years. I am wondering if furious george
is drinking again.

[clover]

20. often the early damage of alcoholism

doesn't manifest itself until middle-age, even if the drinker abstains, and when paired with cocaine use=look out!

more ideas from capitol hill blues, snipped:
Veteran White House watchers say the ability to control information about Bush’s health, either physical or mental, is similar to Ronald Reagan’s second term when aides managed to conceal the President’s increasing memory lapses that signaled the onslaught of Alzheimer’s Disease.
It also brings back memories of Richard Nixon’s final days when the soon-to-resign President wondered the halls and talked to portraits of former Presidents. The stories didn’t emerge until after Nixon left office.
One long-time GOP political consultant who – for obvious reasons – asked not to be identified said he is advising his Republican Congressional candidates to keep their distance from Bush.
“We have to face the very real possibility that the President of the United States is loony tunes,” he says sadly. “That’s not good for my candidates, it’s not good for the party and it’s certainly not good for the country.”

© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue

[jobycom]

37. He's never stopped drinking

He's just a drunk, that's why he can't make any sense. Go find the videotape he made on 9-11 from the air base in Louisiana. Listen to his slurring, look at the red in his eyes... He's still a drunk.

[dubyaD40web]

68. For anyone who doubts that he's started drinking again...

This was taken at the G8 Summit last year.
Anyone think that's an iced tea in front of him?

[struggle4progress]

18. Drug dealer: Bush was wired in the 70's and 80's too. eom

[renoray]

22. I am amused

Q: Mr. President, were you wired at the debates?
A: No, I stopped snorting coke years ago.

[fishwax]

55. ha ha

lol :D

[Zorra]

19. If we can scramble Karl's transmissions, Bu$h will look like an even

bigger fool than he already has in the first 2 debates.

If he has to answer on his own it will be the comedy hit of the year.

[BrotherBuzz]

29. What makes you think the Kerry camp isn't already dialed in?

;)

[txindy]

54. That's what I was thinking

and hoping. ;) We shall see. I cannot wait for tonight. :toast:

[Psephos]

23. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

Given his performance in the first debate, I say that Bush should be encouraged to wear the damned thing for Round Three.

[muriel_volestrangler]

40. Superb!

On a side note, Salon is running a Spot the Bush bulge competition: send them your best freeze frame from the 3rd debate, and you win a year's subscription (and the satisfaction of helping de-select Chimpy, we hope).

[drfemoe]

80. hehe

welcome to DU :hi:

[Stephanie]

24. That we are even ASKING the question tells you all you need to know

No one would suspect such a think in Kerry's case. With Bush, even when he FAILS MISERABLY in the first debate, we STILL wonder how he happened to have some facts at his disposal, such as that fascinating Dred Scott case. NOBODY believes Bush is competent, in any way shape or form. So a story like this is inherently plausible, even without the lump under his shirt and the odd pauses in his delivery.

Not that I find it implausible at all. I heard Bush's prompter on 9/11. I heard it in the evening speech.

[alarcojon]

52. That's my main angle on this

Personally, I still think if he was wearing a wire, they would be capable of hiding it much better. Still, any play this story gets is to Bush's detriment, precisely because many people are ready to believe it. How many of those people would be willing to vote for a president they feel might be getting coached during the debates?

[Fridays Child]

28. Check out this psychotic fr**per exchange about "the bulge."

To: Rennes Templar
I still say he's packin' heat! It looks like a shoulder rig to me.

12 posted on 10/12/2004 9:32:48 PM PDT by Redcloak (Vikings plundered my last tag line.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: Redcloak
'I still say he's packin' heat! It looks like a shoulder rig to me.'

That would be righteous, if in the middle of the third debate, he whips off his jacket and shows everyone 'the heat'.

35 posted on 10/12/2004 9:40:18 PM PDT by bitt


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1243399/replies?c=12

[PermanentRevolution]

32. Because nothing inspires confidence

like the leader of your country waving a loaded gun around in a crowded room.

Who ARE these people? Yeesh...

:eyes:

[mistertrickster]

79. Exactly, remember how Saddam used to punctuate his speeches

with a little gratutious gun play.

Yeah, that's leadership . . .

[belle]

56. Oh my GOD. Feel the pulsating homoerotic subtext (pant, pant).

"Whip it out, George, you big manly cowboy, you! SWOON"

[VegasWolf]

63. Belle, too damn funny!!!

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[sonias]

33. Any B5 fans will recognize this bulge as bu$h' keeper

http://www.infinicorp.com/VEX/aliens/keeper.htm
PHYSIOLOGY
Sentient Neural Parasite. While it is awake, the six-tentacled being can make itself invisible (an ability similar to the Shadows). Attached to the side of the neck, the Keeper can bond with the central nervous system of a being and can take control of its host at will. This control is not flawless, as it has a low alcohol tolerance.

Which explains why bu$h has started to drink again. he he he

Also be sure to drop in at Canonfire and read some interesting discussion.
http://www.cannonfire.blogspot.com/
One of the most recent office assaults took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, where a drive-by shooter put two rounds into a Bush/Cheney headquarters. As we have noted in one of yesterday's post, this same office played a key role in an apparent hoax connected to the "mystery bulge" controversy. The purpose of the hoax remains unclear. I suspect that the intention was to sidetrack any investigators looking into the issue, just as legitimate concerns over Bush's National Guard service were sidetracked by the CBS debacle.


Sonia

[Love Bug]

49. LOL

Heh--I always thought Boosh's Keeper was Cheney, but who knows? All I know is, if we hear any strange chattering around him, we're in worse trouble than we thought!

[Dover]

38. Probably one of those 'invisible fence' devices used to keep dogs from

straying.

[justjones]

39. Note: "provided by the Secret Service

They're not going to have him driving around the countryside ...without being in instant contact with him."

Could this be a hint at The Chimp's explanation for being wired, that he has to be "plugged in" with the SS to get instant information in case there is a terrorist attack?

Because we all know he's wired. We aren't seeing things, we know something is there, and if it weren't a biggie they would have admitted a long time ago. They're just following their modus operandi, which is to deny, deny, deny, deny some more, then admit the truth with some assanine explanation his worshippers will swallow whole. It won't matter to them that The Chimp lied about it in the first place.

Just wait and see. It's the real ChimpyBush doctrine: liar, liar, bunnypants on fire. :grr:

Let's just hope this time his ass burns right out of the White House.

:nuke:

[DoYouEverWonder]

43. If it is something the SS uses to communicate with him

Then why didn't they use it to tell him what was going on, on 9-11?

[justjones]

62. They'll say...

it was something they implemented after 9/11. I can just hear the right wing talking point, "Everything changed after 9/11!"

They use 9/11 for an excuse for everything, from invading Iraq to spilling coffee. These bastards have no shame!

[Nlighten1]

45. Morning bump

[Bread and Circus]

47. Whether it's true or not...and it most likely is...is not what's needed...

What's needed is for the question to be raised over and over by Dem talking heads on TV. FUD is the key. The dems are notoriously (and probably to their ethical credit) bad at this.

[highplainsdem]

48. Another technical expert agreed - check these links

I posted about this last night in the General Discussion: Campaign 2004 forum, at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1046994 (subject line "Countersurveillance/security expert says Bush was wired"), but I'll copy it here so you can just click on the links:

---------

Check out http://cryptome.org/bush-bulge.htm for James M. Atkinson's detailed explanation, starting with this statement:

After examining numerous frames of video footage (C-SPAN 30 Sept 04) I have come to the professional opinion that either George Bush was wearing a wireless prompter/queuing system on the night of the debates, or our president is growing some kind of mutant dorsal fin. By very carefully examining the movement of his body and how it interacts with his suit jacket it is easy to rule out the possibility "the bulge" is simply a wrinkle in his clothing or a problem with bad lighting.

Atkinson's website is http://www.tscm.com / , and his background and qualifications are given at http://www.tscm.com/biojma.html .

I know he's already been mentioned in some news stories, but you really should see his detailed explanation and his credentials to understand how credible this charge is.

Interestingly, Atkinson believes Bush is wearing both body armor and a wireless system.

He mentions, in his 10/9 message to cryptome.org, "There appears to be something actually IN his ear, and it is likely a monitor or cueing prompter." This is the first I've heard of anyone viewing the debate video actually seeing something inside Bush's ear. There is a photo at http://hoffmania.blogspot.com/2004_10_03_hoffmania_archive.html , which as I understand it was taken at the National Prayer Breakfast last February, that appears to show a device in Bush's ear that's made of plastic in a shade of pink that doesn't match the skin tones elsewhere, and if you look very closely (or have seen the blowup someone else posted here) you can see there are several straight vertical lines in that plastic surface. I wonder if Atkinson has seen the photo, and if he could identify the type of earpiece by the distinctive pattern of lines?


--------

One of the people who replied in that thread posted the blowup of that photo.

I found a couple of news stories quoting Atkinson, but this is getting surprisingly little attention. Even here on DU. I was really surprised to see only a couple of replies to this post last night.

[leesa]

50. Well, he wasn't driving around his ranch, now, was he?

They SS certainly didn't seem very concerned about him on 9-11. He would probably do better if he wasn't wired. His dyslexia is probably more related to listening to someone and trying to speak at the same time

[JPZenger]

53. Bush Doesn't Drive Around by Himself

A comment was made about Bush driving around his ranch by himself. I doubt that ever happens. Everywhere he goes on the ranch, he is followed about by 2 Black Chevy Suburbans full of Secret Service agents with compact assault rifles and a military aide carrying the nuclear launch codes.

[emad]

51. Is the CIA now bugging Bush?????

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=1803122

[JPace]

58. Article says bush's radio can be intercepted and recorded

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/12/bush_wireless_coaching/

"All that remains is for Kerry to pat Bush down during the next debate, or for some enterprising geek to use Atkinson's information to intercept the President's coaching session, and record it. In the interest of public disclosure, we note that the final presidential debate will be held on Wednesday, 13 October on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, at the Gammage Auditorium, located on the northeast corner of Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard."
More......

[GarySeven]

74. I'd like to see either of these to happen tonight ...

1) When Kerry walks out tonight to shake the Bozo's hand, he also slaps him on the back (like a manly man would do) and, in the process, feel for the box and the "off" switch.

2) Some pizza-faced University geek intercepting and unscrambling the puppet masters then posting it everywhere.

[Jankyn]

61. Did anybody see yesterday's The View?

They were talking about this--showed pictures from both debates that show "the bulge." Then Barbara Walters turned around and took off her jacket so that the audience could see she was wearing an electronic device that was the same shape, and she pointed out her "invisible" ear piece that lets her communicate with the producer.

I think all the professional media people know EXACTLY what that bulge is...

Jankyn

[VegasWolf]

64. I know, its a device for communicating with God!! n/t

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[sofa king]

66. I think it's a modified anti-bark collar.

For "correcting" the President's utterances.

[VegasWolf]

67. Its a battery for an electroshock device for on the go masturbation!

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[AlFrankenFan]

71. And of course the B/C people will deny it

How can we get them to admit it?

[GarySeven]

73. There's nothing wrong with wiring the Prez ...

There are any number of legitimate reasons to do so ... like to alert him discretely that the country is under attack. That way, he can quietly exit whatever public event he is attending without having to have aides dramatically appear to whisper in his ear and upsetting people.

Unfortunately, we all know that the real reason for the Wire is so the RNC to dictate their talking points to this meat puppet.

I think we need a new verb: to "DeBergerac" as in, "I could never have gotted through that debate without getting deBergeracked."

[Seabiscuit]

82. LOL!!!

"There are any number of legitimate reasons to do so ... like to alert him discretely that the country is under attack. That way, he can quietly exit whatever public event he is attending without having to have aides dramatically appear to whisper in his ear and upsetting people."

Oh... is THAT why Dubya hung around that classroom for an extra 27 minutes after the second plane crashed into the WTC??? He wasn't "wired"?

BWAHAHAHA!!!

[Invalence1]

85. He does make much of

being a "Christian"...

[mistertrickster]

75. The thing I can't figure is why did they locate it in the middle of his

back? Wouldn't it have been less noticable in the small of his back?

On a different note, it's really too bad that nobody from Kerry's side had thought of this possibility. A couple of ham radio type electronics dudes could have a wired up a jammer pretty easily, and GW would have ended up with an earful of annoying static.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

77. it's a Thorazine pump

[drscm]

78. Seems to me we should all get one to "descramble" wtf he is trying to say.

[truthisfreedom]

86. HAH! good one. here's what bush used to sound like 10 years ago before

the dementia started to surface. quite a changed man. this is a must-see.

Bush 10 years ago

[JoFerret]

81. The New Statesman weighs in

http://www.newstatesman.com/site.php3?newTemplate=NSArticle_NS&newDisplayURN=200410180017

[JoFerret]

84. Here are some extracts

America - Andrew Stephen examines the box on Bush
Andrew Stephen - America
Monday 18th October 2004

....

So what was that mysterious bulge under George W Bush's jacket? Is he on medication? Why did he blink repeatedly during the second presidential debate? Why did he postpone his annual medical check-up that was due last August? Is he suffering from pre-senile dementia?

These are all questions that have been put to me in the past few days. The evidence sounds convincing that Bush uses a "passive transducer earpiece", through which he is fed a script that has been transmitted to and then from a device hidden on his body;....

....

I have listened to the CNN tape, and what I heard sounded to me like Bush's own voice preceding his words in identical speech patterns; the broadcast did not go out live but was taped, so I concluded that there were audio problems which produced an echo on the soundtrack. And though replays of the Fox feed do show the same box shape at certain times, at others the box morphs under the television lighting, turning from the outline of a square to what appears to be a blurry rectangle.

My conclusion so far? The 43rd US president badly needs a new tailor, and Fox should get better lighting engineers. To the other questions, I can offer only opinions. I tend to believe, for example, that Bush probably takes medication to calm his nerves. I remember the contrast between when I saw him at the White House shortly after 7pm on 20 September 2001 and when he made his historic post-11 September address to Congress less than two hours later.

When I first saw him, he was a bag of nerves, his face twitching from nervous tics; by the time he appeared before Congress and a huge television audience, he seemed confident and calm. What had he ingested in the meantime, and was the White House doctor, Colonel Richard J Tubb, involved or not?

<more>