It began, per usual, with blogs: Portland Indymedia had several comments regarding a strange bulge in the President's suitjacket on October 2nd. Digby's Blog had a post up on the 3rd noting the same unusually box-shaped bulge.
IsBushWired.com was already up and running by October 4, 2004 with the post "The Voice in Bush's Ear" and Palooka World had a post on it as well.
By the 8th, Salon had picked up the story, along with the Washington Dispatch, MediaChannel.org, and Kevin Drum over at Washington Monthly.
The Blue Lemur had a post up on October 9, not only linking to photos of the first debate, but one of the second debate allegedly also showing a wire.
Here are the pics from the first debate: here and here.
From the second: here and here.
According to the NY Times story of October 9th, (username: randommentality, password:password) the idea the photos were doctored is out, as the distortion is apparent on live video footage, and the speculation as to whether it was a bullet proof vest is also a dead-end as the White House denies he was wearing one. For those of you wishing to fact-check the NY Times, Salon.com's article indicates:
"To watch the debate again, I ventured to the Web site of the most sober network I could think of: C-SPAN. And sure enough, at minute 23 on the video of the debate, you can clearly see the bulge between the president's shoulder blades."
The video of the debates is on C-Span, though I can't get it to load now.
Also per the Salon article, the idea it was some sort of backup microphone appear to be out:
"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. . . . 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.'"
My take on the issue:
1) I have my doubts about the second debate photos, they could be bulges at seams or shadows. But the rectangle on the first debate photo does not appear to be a natural seam bulge, as apparently Bush's tailor is claiming. I haven't reviewed the video of the first debate to determine how it looks compared to the still photos yet, but if the still photos are accurate, it certainly looks like there's something there. On the other hand, why doesn't it show up in silhouette shots like this and this? It's thick enough to show up in a back shot, but the silhouette looks smooth?
2) That said, I've got a few questions:
a) Having recently worn a mike box for Metamorphoses, I've been thinking through all the technical difficulties you run into with electronic mic/receiver boxes. Normally, it would be worn at the belt - much more disguiseable - or around the collar. But this appears to be dead in the middle of the back, where there's no buttonhole or other place to run a clip through. There was a time or two I had my mike box down that low, but it was on the back of an evening dress, not a guy's collar which is, if I recall correctly, located somewhere around the back of the neck. I suppose he could have some kind of elastic strap around his chest under the shirt. But: a) why go to all that trouble when you can wear it at your waist, and b) wouldn't the slight indentation of such a strap also show up in the photos? The jacket is stretched rather tight. A final practical question: there's a live mike dead in front of him for most of the debate. Feedback issues would have to be dealt with, would they not?
b) Wouldn't the President of the United States have access to a slightly smaller model? You can't tell me that a receiver box that size is state of the art.
c) His responses in the debate. Via Wonkette:
Yes, we've seen the pictures. But we also watched the debate. If Bush was listening to some kind of radio signal, it was between stations.
d) It's not like the debates are held in isolation booths. Candidates pat each other on the back. While some of the photos of the pre- and post- debate photo ops show Kerry with his left hand at his side while he shakes hands, others here and here clearly show that it is not. I presume its on Bush's back rather than his behind, though I wouldn't put much past Kerry. So there was a strap holding a receiver box and a wire up to Bush's ear and Kerry didn't feel a thing? Possible, I suppose, but plausible?
Where this will go, I don't know. I expect it to receive more play. Sooner or later someone's going to have to come up with an explaination. For now, it looks like the ball's in Bush's court to provide something more than a "seam bulge."
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