Salon: Spyware expert says Bush probably used earpiece during debate

[Sliverofhope]

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. <...>

So what was it? Jacob McKenna, a spyware expert and the owner of the Spy Store, a high-tech surveillance shop in Spokane, Wash., 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.<...>

Suggestions that Bush may have using this technique stem from a D-day event in France, when a CNN broadcast appeared to pick up -- and broadcast to surprised viewers -- the sound of another voice seemingly reading Bush his lines, after which Bush repeated them. Danny Schechter, who operates the news site MediaChannel.org, and who has been doing some investigating into the wired-Bush rumors himself, said the Bush campaign has been worried of late about others picking up their radio frequencies -- notably during the Republican Convention on the day of Bush's appearance. "They had a frequency specialist stop me and ask about the frequency of my camera," Schechter said. "The Democrats weren't doing that at their convention."

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

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. And the really hilarious thing is...

even when he cheats, he sucks!

[Sliverofhope]

2. We need to spread the word on this

If he can be forced not to use the earpiece tonight, he will totally bomb!

[Lorien]

74. Agreed. Send this to the major networks

if enough of us send it, they may take notice.

[Goldom]

3. Everyone on tv wears an earpiece.

I really doubt it was anything sinister. If Rove had been speaking through Bush's mouth, he wouldn't have sounded that DUMB.

[txindy]

4. He would if it was defective or partially-jammed

There wasn't supposed to be a camera behind *, but there was. That might have had some effect on the signal. It would certainly explain some of his reactions. He struck me throughout the debate as wanting to call a timeout! Probably needed an equipment adjustment. ;)

[merh]

5. It's against the rules of the debate. No teleprompter, no notes

no help! It is sinister and a sham!

[Arancaytar]

6. Re: "large solid object between Bush's shoulder blades"

That wasn't a part of the earpiece, it was the screw to wind up his spring!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. It was his big, black, membraneous, satanic bat-wings.

It's really hard to keep those folded up and out of sight.

[txindy]

22. ROFL!!!

What an image! Thanks! :toast:

[Jacobin]

86. Dammit!

You have to come clean up my keyboard!!!!

:-)

[AmerDem]

18. LOL

:D

[Arancaytar]

Fascism has two s. Otherwise, lol :)

n/t

[AmerDem]

25. I didn't create it

and i'm sure is hell not going to fix it. The meaning stays the same.

[Iceburg]

52. No no .. it was his mechanical heart

[TimeToGo]

7. Well . . .

Everybody might wear an earpiece on TV, but candidates in a debate?

And if so, then it should be able to be cleared up easily.

"Yes, of course, President Bush had the earpiece as did Senator Kerry." or some such.

[HootieMcBoob]

9. But a really stupid guy interpreting what was coming through his ear piece

mind possibly sound even stupider...

Not saying that the chimp is stupid or even that he used an ear piece but...

Snorty McCokespoon sure is a dumbass! You can't argue with that now can ya?

[sandnsea]

16. You can't be serious

You honestly think it's acceptable for the President to be prompted during an election debate????

[Goldom]

23. It's called an IFB

Interruptable Fold-Back. I'm getting this from a reliable source. They use it to hear in real-time what the other people are saying. If you've ever spoken with an attached mic on a stage, you can hear that because the speakers are set up for the audience, there's a echo-y noise that makes it hard for the speakers to hear what others are saying, (Ie, Kerry + Lehrer).

It is not for being prompted.

[sandnsea]

29. or take cues

"Also, with a moderator attuned to taking cues from a floor manager, or through an IFB (interruptable foldback circuit) direct into his ear from the producer or director, panelists are left free to concentrate on the subject, not the mechanics of the production."

http://www.beachassociates.com/support/whitepapers/ibtv-6.php

There's no reason Bush should have had this, it's not in accordance with the debate rules.

[Iceburg]

54. I recommend you add "Wired" to your animated gif

Love it.

[goclark]

31. Let's ask his staff before tomorrow -LOL

If this "IFB" is capable of all these wonderous acts, let's ask for one for Kerry.

Where was Kerry's back pack?

[jmowreader]

76. Yes, the candidates needed stage monitors, but...

why not floor wedges? Why not a speaker in the podium?

And if the thing on Bush's back was really a legitimate stage monitor, why the hell didn't Kerry have one?

He didn't have one because it wasn't a legitimate monitor. It was a direct line to Bush's people. Which explains all the weird pauses and the "let me finish" line.

[MadHound]

96. Yeah, but

Every stage that I've been on for debates(and I've been on plenty, went to Nationals in high school) has speakers specifically placed in order to facilitate the people on stage hearing each other. No ear-pieces needed. Sorry, but your excuse(and reliable source)simply doesn't hold water.

It is completely unacceptable for one to use any type of earpiece in such a forumn as a nationally televised presidential debate. If I had done so back in high school, my debate partner and I would have immediately forfeited the debate, and serious questions would have been raised as to whether or not we would have been allowed to participate ever again.

And in this day and age of electronic wonders, how can you even make the blanket statement "It is not for being prompted."? Any earpiece, no matter what its original intent, can be used for prompting. Are you truly that naive?

[MsMagnificent]

60. Who uses "Robust" in a sentence?

Do you really think that's a word in Fubya's vocabulary?!

[Stephanie]

71. That's what I thought but the Salon piece debunks that:

Salon asked the debate commission:

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."

[Shakespeare]

90. "everyone on TV wears an earpiece"--No, they do NOT.

An earpice is required ONLY if you're communicating with someone off-set (for a news anchor, it's needed to hear the producer; for an on-scene reporter, it's needed to communicate with the station anchor or producer).

Serious rumors of the Bush earpiece date back to the 2000 election. Yes, it's most likely that the little ogre is being prompted. And the bleed-through audible on that video clip from an earlier event isn't "fold-back," it's a different voice altogether than Bush's.

[pelagius]

8. I tend to rely on Ockham's Razor...

...and say the simplest explanation is sufficient: Bush isn't much of a speaker. But -- damn! -- there is something under his coat in that photo. As noted, that would make his performance doubly piss-poor.

[Sliverofhope]

14. Apparently, it may be his body armor

Apparently his suits are tailored around it. So this may be nothing. But it would have been nice if it were true.

[txindy]

24. I'd be more accepting of the body-armor explanation if

it didn't come with an apparent ripcord snaking up his right shoulder-blade to his shoulder. I know! It's a parachute. Just in case the stairs down from the stage to the floor are blocked. He'd parachute down into the loving arms of his family. :eyes:

[mahina]

40. ROFL! Thank you!

(snark)
(sarfle snort)
hehehehehe

[Robert Oak]

11. oh lordly let's sabotage!

Calling all engineers to volunteer for the Kerry campaign...

time to do some jamming signals during the second debate!

Or even better, time to hijack the feed!

If it's false, no problemo...won't hurt anyone, but if it's TRUE...

gotcha big time!

[shraby]

15. Not just a gotcha. It will reveal to the kool-aid

drinkers exactly what Bush is without any doubt.

[T Bone]

35. What's the Frequency, Karl ?

hmmm, you know some of those faces pretzeldent was making could have been 'oh shit, there is all this fucking static on my fucking earpiece!"

[MsMagnificent]

63. I already wrote MoveOn and Michael Moore

(as a continuation from prior post)
My husband (Engineer) told me that there are a couple types of radio that can't be jammed. He told me the term/name but I forgot it :(
Began with a B

So if Bush's feed isn't scrambled the best to hope for is to pick up and record the radio frequency. However the Bush camp can always claim it's been overdubbed and a fake.

Along with "Let me finish" did anyone notice Bush asking "Please elaborate on that"? Who the fuck is he talking to? Certainly not the moderator!

That idiot can't even get his lines right when he's told exactly what to say. How pathetic.

[HuskerDem]

12. WHAT DATE ON THE CNN appearance? Unbelievable!

This is the first I've heard of this? Does anyone have links?


when a CNN broadcast appeared to pick up -- and broadcast to surprised viewers -- the sound of another voice seemingly reading Bush his lines, after which Bush repeated them.

[atre]

37. If you have the search feature, there was a video link posted a couple

days ago. The voice sounded like Bush, but I suppose it's possible he pre-recorded his own voice to aid his memory.

[MsMagnificent]

66. Link

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

[Iceburg]

73. Links, videos and more

From the salon.com news site today:

Bush's mystery bulge
The rumor is flying around the globe. Was the president wired during the first debate?

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Dave Lindorff

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?

Bloggers are burning up their keyboards with speculation. Check out the president's peculiar behavior during the debate, they say. On several occasions, the president simply stopped speaking for an uncomfortably long time and stared ahead with an odd expression on his face. Was he listening to someone helping him with his response to a question? Even weirder was the president's strange outburst. In a peeved rejoinder to Kerry, he said, "As the politics change, his positions change. And that's not how a commander in chief acts. I, I, uh -- Let me finish -- The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at." It must be said that Bush pointed toward Lehrer as he declared "Let me finish." The green warning light was lit, signaling he had 30 seconds to, well, finish.
more at http://www.salon.com
--------------------
My edit: who ta’ hell was bu$h talking to on this video clip ?
[br />In this video of Bush and press agent John King in Paris you can hear the audio prompter feeding bush his lines during the speech. An audio screw-up of the 1st order by his handlers to be sure ... look at John King’s face at the end of the video ... he’s failed his masta’.

Also, lots of interesting commentary on this subject at http://www.isbushwired.com/

[Bucky]

13. The D-Day radio-prompter rumor was debunked in this form last week

Can't find the thread off-hand. It may have rolled on past the Page 20 cut-off. But a couple of posters in this forum in the days before the Bush-Kerry debate saw that broadcast and confirmed that the voice that got co-broadcasted with Bush's was an echo of Bush's voice that came across the air ahead of the 8-second delay broadcast.

Nice theory, but if the "spyware expert" Salon interviewed can't figure this out (or at least mention the possibility) he may not be much of an expert. If Bush is gonna cheat, he's gonna do it right, like with Florida in 2000. They don't fuck around with the important stuff. It's the little unimportant things like keeping our troops alive in Iraq or hunting down mass murdering terrorists that they slack off on.

[MsMagnificent]

70. I think that's wrong

There are definitely 2 male voices. The first one doesn't has as much as an accent as Bush

Someone also had a longer tape, in where Bush embellished certain lines. You can find alot of it here:

http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=3593

http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=3624

I believe within those pages note the slightly different wording between the prompt and Fubya -- where he will embellish with some adjectives like "great" etc.

The breaking of this story is usually dedicated to:

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

BTW, you don't necessarily have to have the piece inside the ear canal. There are a couple places on the skull that, when a microphone is attached, is still able to be picked up by the ear.

[Quadrajet]

17. I have noticed...

...that he almost always speaks in one or two sentences then halts for a few seconds...gives that smirk...and then continues for one or two sentences...etc. This might explain it? Eh.

[Quadrajet]

21. The freepers are saying...

...it's a bullet proof vest.

[beaconess]

26. That's actually possible . . .

Since he didn't use his standard bullet-proof podium, it's possible that Secret Service put him in a kevlar vest. Wouldn't be the first time a president wore a vest.

[crispini]

27. some more funnies from freeperland:

He would have done much better if it were true.

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

This is in the same vain as the Kerry pocket rumor

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

Karl Rove should take that thing back to Best Buy and get his money back. What, was the "It's hard work" key get stuck?

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

Cut to the chase. Part of Rove's brain has been implanted in Pres. Bushes head.

[SammyWinstonJack]

67. Hehe

"What, was the "It's hard work" key get stuck?" Now that is funny.

[andino]

42. No to the vest

Vests are one piece in the front and back. Notice where the lines in his jacket are at. That's way to low for any bullet proof vest. That leaves a heart shot from behind WIDE OPEN.



Also notice where they attach.. The side... These things are not like man-zier or something..

[lakemonster11]

46. Maybe he put it on backwards.

;)
on edit: my hundredth post!

[AnIndependentTexan]

30. They think Kerry is the one with the earpeice. It must be true about Bush

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1234631/posts

Posted on 10/04/2004 5:00:21 AM PDT by stockpirate


Some are reporting in other threads that Kerry removed an earpiece after the debate, anyone out there that taped the debate please review and post. Also, some have suggested that it appears that the movement of Kerry with the object he removed may have been a text imaging device. Lets look for this too.

[henslee]

36. If Kerry frisked him and found nothing, it'd remind me of a Get Smart ep.

Sorry chief!

[atre]

38. I think it's unequivocally true that he's used this in the past

There was an ABCnews.com "Daily Notes" (or whatever its called) a long time ago that mentioned a third, separate event in which a woman's voice was heard before Bush's at a staged event in the Oval Office. I searched all around, but still can't find a trace of this story anyway (including Lexis). You're right to notice that the long pauses were probably an indication of the use of such an instrument... but then again the pauses aren't as bad (other than a couple hilarious points in the debate).

[AmerDem]

19. Let's get this out to Olberman!

He would love to look into it!

[debatepro]

20. Simple Solution

If they shake hands before the debate John should put his hand at the same part of bush's back and be like what is this. LOL how funny would that be. They will just plant it up his ass now.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. I think he's wearing a vest - but he also has a receiver somewhere else

In daily photos of Bush, it looks like he's gaining weight. I think it's actually a vest that he probably even sleeps in.



But I don't think its far-fetched to think that he might have a small receiver in his suit pants pocket. It wouldn't mean that each and every line is fed to him, but someone is probably giving him periodic instructions when he appears about to stall or goes into one of his "unnnn, uhhhh, ummmmm" modes.

[demgrrrll]

32. Sure would like for him to have a big Wizard of Oz don't pay any attention

to that man behind the curtain moment. Maybe some loud buzzing and feedback. Or a repeat of the CNN moment. Hell, I'm not picky just something to embarrass the shit out of em!

[sofa king]

41. If I were protecting him, he'd wear a vest in the shower.

About the only person left who still loves him is his mama, and Kitty Kelley claims that's a little iffy, too.

However, using a vest does not preclude the use of a receiver as well. In fact, if I were one of the President's gadget boys, I'd be tracking his location and vital signs through the damned thing, which would require a transmitter at least.

[op6203]

79. I agree with you.

I imagine he wears a vest most of the time. Most vests have pockets for a hard plate (trauma plate). Generally, these are in the front, but I'm sure the president's vest is a little fancier than the average street cop's vest (so he MIGHT have one in the back).
Like the above poster, I'm not saying he wasn't wired. I just think his receiver would be in the small of this back or somewhere less noticeable.

OP

[Vanje]

87. So THATS what was stuffed into those flight suit straps!

"Like the above poster, I'm not saying he wasn't wired. I just think his receiver would be in the small of this back or somewhere less noticeable."

.......like maybe the cod-piece of a flight suit?

[Norquist Nemesis]

33. Gee! None of the mainstream media has picked up on this.

Why am I not surprised!!! I think they should be asking some hard questions about this. And no namby-pamby excuses and flim-flams that it's a security thing. Bullshit! There are recordings of Bush's earpiece being used as a feed during speeches.

[henslee]

34. No reason why Kerry camp can't jam frequency.

[chaska]

39. I didn't read the article, but it's probably just monitors.

When on a stage you have a hard time hearing not just another speaker (Kerry) but you even have a hard time hearing yourself speak. Ever see those speakers in front of singers that are pointed AT the singer rather than the audience? Those are monitors. They are there so the singer can hear himself sing. Recently there's been a move to in-ear monitors. They fit in the ear and a wire goes down the back to a reciever usually attached to the belt.

This doesn't mean that the potential to cheat isn't there. But probably not.

[Arancaytar]

43. There's a difference...

Between singing and speechifying, and even more so between singing and debating. In the one, your voice is the primarily essential thing. In a debate, the content is.

And if it isn't for Bush, what does that say about his speeches?

[ThoughtCriminal]

44. Kerry should greet Bush and give a gentle pat on the back

next time - right where the possible receiver is. Nothing mean - just a message that says "Yeah, we know it's there.". If it really is a radio, that would really rattle him I think.

[lakemonster11]

45. "Bush's Mystery Bulge"?

Yuck! What kind of sick headline is that?! hahaha

[Crunchy Frog]

47. They should just rig him up

so he operates completely by remote control. It would be alot more efficient that way.

[DeepModem Mom]

48. Okay, if this has hit "Salon," I'm nominating for the home page --

let's get this speculation out there.

[Skinner]

49. And I'm putting it on the homepage.

It's in the mainstream media now. And it's a very compelling article, IMO.

[DeepModem Mom]

50. Skinner, you rock!

To quote The Magistrate, "Let's go get those Bush bastards"!

[in_cog_ni_to]

51. delete

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. Who Was Giving Him His Answers?

Tom Arnold

[sherilocks]

55. It might just as well have been Tom Arnold

But Cheney or Rove, I forget which, was locked in a private room behind the curtains.

[kerryin2004]

57. What about Carville??

If Carville found out he was using this thing he would have scrambled it..Hell, I can see Carville taking over the signal and taunting the boy king..

[Junkdrawer]

72. I think it was Condi...

Just a hunch..

[Killarney]

56. The major evidence is THIS...

No one has said what it is. The Kerry camp says they don't know what it is. The media doesn't know what it was. And the White House won't comment on it and won't return calls on this topic.

That is the major evidence that something's up.

If it was a special feedback piece, Kerry would have had one too and the Kerry camp would have told Salon what it was. But they said they don't know what it was.

If it was a special security device, the Secret Service would want one on Kerry, too, and the White House would tell us what it was. The fact that they won't talk says a lot.

[wysiwyg]

58. Not what Bush is used to

If Bush usually uses the received like a prompter and repeats what is being said verbatim he might well have been thrown by someone talking at the same time he was and telling him what to do. Practice sessions wouldn't really prepare him for actually being in the "heat of the moment" and being interrupted by another voice in his head.

[Shopaholic]

62. Remember when he said

"Let me finish" and no one had tried to interrupt him and no one else was talking. I just thought it was the multiple voices in his brain but now it turns out it may have been a very-real voice in his ear!

[molly]

64. Hmmmm - yep remember that

[MsMagnificent]

59. "That's a battery pack"

my engineer husband said immediately upon seeing that back shot of Bush.

He's convinced, and he's such a techie he should know. In fact he called his Republican father and they discussed it, down to if they taped it onto his body or shirt until they finally decided Bush probably has a pocket sewn into his jacket for it.

Father-in-law is still voting for Bush (but I'll work on him :), he's a small business owner and the tax burden upon him is great. I posted in another thread how I felt it was a sin to burden small businesses while the giant corporations pay absolutely no tax. These giants therefore are parasites not only on small business owners, but every hard working American.

[progressivebydesign]

95. The taxes on small business owners..

.. I think the republicans have done a great disservice to small business owners by pushing them to focus on the tax issue. If the economy is in the dumpster, it doesn't matter what taxes you pay.. if no one has money to buy or use your products. The economy trickles UP, starting on the neighborhood streets and in the small businesses. If people have money to spend, the economy improves.. If the tax breaks are given the savers, the wealthiest, they never result in trickling down to the workers and small businesses.

A tax break is useless to a small business that fails in a bad economy.

[DemocracyInaction]

61. Maybe it's an alarm clock to keep him awake since he is in bed

usually by the time the debates begin. Actually the thing seems about the size of one of those insulin packs but they are worn at the waist. Maybe someone should start putting the pressure on about what is the exact state of his health since he refuses to take his physical until after the election.

[txindy]

65. After reviewing the "Faces of Frustration" video of Bush

put out by the DNC at http://www.democrats.org/faces/index.html , this story is making a lot of sense to me. He certainly looks like someone having equipment problems. Seeing his reactions strung together like that, I can almost imagine the reception cutting in and out, or another signal cutting into the one he was using. Take a look at it, again, and try to imagine it. Some of those faces were definitely a reaction to what Senator Kerry was saying, no doubt, but not all of them. JMHO. YMMV. :shrug:

[in_cog_ni_to]

68. Kerry needs to pat him on the back tonight and

then say..."WHAT THE HELL IS THIS???!!!" Embarrass him on national TV! Show the sheeple the man is a FRAUD.

[Longhorn]

69. I find this intriguing and totally plausible. But I wonder

why wouldn't "The Voice" tell him to quit making the stupid faces, that he's being shown on a split screen and in making an idiot of himself?

[txindy]

80. If he is wearing an earpiece, I think

the reception was awful that night. Maybe jammed. But even if it had been clear, who would dare tell * those things? The only one to do it and survive would be Rove. Which makes me lean towards this theory even more. And I don't even care if he wears an earpiece. He's awful with or without one! LOL!

[On the Road]

75. Holy Shit!

Suggestions that Bush may have using this technique stem from a D-day event in France, when a CNN broadcast appeared to pick up -- and broadcast to surprised viewers -- the sound of another voice seemingly reading Bush his lines, after which Bush repeated them.

I'm on DU all the time, and didn't pick up on this.

[Chiyo-chichi]

77. supposedly

at the D-Day press conference (or was it another one?) the phantom voice even told bush which reporters to call on, calling them by name just before bush did.

[Maestro]

78. It's not an earpiece or transmitter

It is simply the battery pack that keeps the robot Bush on track. The wierd pauses and facial expressions were a result of low battery power. Rove I am sure has been charging those batteries and updating the memory stick for his robotic Bush. :P

[factcheck]

84. What it isn't ...

... is a transceiver.

First, the pure speculation: these guys would have to be pretty dumb to attempt to conceal a transceiver between his shoulder blades where a suit jacket fits most snugly.

Now, for some facts: a high quality digital transceiver for use with a remote earpiece (includes both auditory input and output) is about the size of a small cell phone. The best units actually transmit over multiple frequencies for best signal quality and less interference and, because the signal is digital, there is no static. The signal is either there or it isn't. It also makes it much easier to encrypt. The range on one of these devices is similar to newer cordless telephones. You could easily cover a good area inside, even if the person on the other end is in another room. Outside, the range would easily exceed 1000 feet. The battery pack for these devices is attached, similar to a cell phone, and will easily last for hours of actual powered use.

For the best hidden location with a person wearing a suit jacket, one would place the actual transceiver unit in the small of the back.

What it isn't is a transceiver or any type of communications device.

A little more speculation because only a few people on the planet can say for certain what the object actually was:

A bulletproof vest would not be out of the question. It would not be uncommon at all for the President of the United States to be wearing one when appearing in public.

It has been mentioned that bulletproof vests sometimes contain trauma pads. This is true, however, the trauma pad pocket is located ONLY in the front.

However, what would be more likely is that the President's vest would contain rifle plates. These are additional plates placed in both the front and the back of the vest to provide protection from rifle fired ammunition. Because the projectile would have a much higher velocity, it would likely not be stopped by the vest alone. While the plates are designed to be as concealed as possible, they are rather squared off on all sides and the one in the back is generally rectangular.

It has also been mentioned that the bulge in the jacket would be too low for the top of the vest. Well, the actual top of the vest would never actually be seen through a person's clothing. This is the part of the vest that would be directly in contact with the shirt (similar to a t-shirt) that is worn under the vest. Because of the nature of the fit of the vest, the top portion of the vest, around the neck area, would be far less visible than a t-shirt under a shirt. Consider that newer vests are designed with concealment in mind. Certainly is would be pretty well known that the President would wear one, but he would still be wearing one that is designed similar, if not identical, to those worn by security personnel, law enforcement, dignitaries, etc. The idea is that, if a potential assailant can obviously see you are wearing a vest, they are going to choose to shoot you in a lower percentage target area, like your head.

While I cannot say what the bulge is, there is definitely the possibility that it is the top portion of the rifle plate in the vest.

But, I am 99.9% certain that it is not a transceiver or any part of any communications device. The .1% uncertainty is based on speculation that they could be using 1980's surplus equipment??? :)

[wryter2000]

81. Whoa!

He cheated, and that was the best he could do? :evilgrin:

[realFedUp]

82. Strip search

If it's good enough for Martha, it's
good enough for George.

[northernsoul]

83. squat and cough, buddy!

How could the office of President have sunk to this level?

[Mr_Scarecrow]

85. Right before the debate

Condi stuck an ice tray down his back to keep him alert.

[huskerlaw]

88. I have no idea what it is, but...

First off, I'd like to say HI! I'm pretty new here and haven't done that yet. :)

In response to the comments that he would hide it better, look at the wrinkles in the arms of the jacket and his posture. He's hunched over, thereby pulling the jacket tighter across his back. If they did a visual check while he was standing straight, they may have concluded it was not visible.

That said, I just showed this to one of the techies at work and he said he's never seen an electronic mic device that attached anywhere other than the waist area. Of course, he's a die-hard republican, lol.

I do agree that the most damning evidence is not the picture itself, but the lack of explanation from the Bush camp. If it's a bullet-proof vest (or something equally explanable) one would think they would have said so by now.

[EST]

94. Since I didn't see anyone else saying it, WELCOME!

Welcome to DU! This can be, and is, a remarkable place, most of the time!
As far as the spy ware he might be wearing-I don't call myself an expert, but,... spread spectrum transmission is virtually unjammable. Spread spectrum works kind of like this- You digitize the voice (which is actually a very tiny spread of frequencies) and shift it to a much higher frequency range-say- 100 mhz. Then you squirt each block of 500 cycles (hertz) at different spots between 100-105 mhz. The receiver he's wearing shifts right along with the transmitter (a simple clocking algorithm can handle this) and the actual frequencies are down shifted to the audible range in his earpiece.

This whole shebang can be completely built on one tiny microchip-invisible in the ear and could receive from a good quarter mile away. The only concerns would be antenna and power, but with cell phone frequencies the antenna would be invisible as well. The thing with the wire running up his back just seems far too bulky and old-fashioned, particularly given the fact that this president has free access to the very best technology available anywhere.

He certainly does not need a transceiver, as posted above, because his voice is already going out to the whole world, only a tiny receiver.

[newyawker99]

97. Hi huskerlaw!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[kasjogren]

89. It's a vest

I noticed this thing during the debates the first time when my friend commented on it. Using TiVo I looked at his back and Kerry's. Kerry is wearing one too. You can't see it unless you are paying close attention because unlike Dubya Kerry is actually standing up straight. But yeah, look at the video footage carefully and you will notice Kerry is wearing a vest as well. It is standard procedure to wear vests during events like this.

And really, do we need to lower ourselves to making crazy claims like this? I think they fact that Kerry whooped up on dubya should be enough.

[Shakespeare]

91. It's not a crazy claim.

These rumors go back to the 2000 election. It's not "lowering" ourselves to ask hard questions about what could be a serious scandal for the president. If he's so inept that he can't make a speech or appear at a debate without prompting, the American people damn well deserve to know it.

[kemche]

92. Feedback...

I wish bush's ear piece gets feedback. That annoying sound that everyone hates.

KG

[Spinzonner]

93. If it's indeed some kind of antenna for a communications device

it doesnt necessarily have to be mainly a receiver, it could be a transmitter.

If DUbya does have some some kind of unrevealed medical condition, as has been suggested in other venues and discussions in the past, perhaps its a transceiver for sending information on his physical status to a monitor to anticipate possible oncoming problems.