Wired Debates

[Squid]

There has been some speculation that Bush was wired for his debate with Kerry. See link here.

 

Question is, does it matter?

[iain]

This is pretty absurd. Unless solid proof can be presented, speculation from the fringe like this hurts the campaign to remove this man from office.

[foraker]

Damn. I was thinking this might be something like that episode of The Simpsons where they were all attached to an electric circuit and anybody could zap anybody else if they annoyed them. Now that would be a presidential debate worth watching.

[Squid]

Edited October 7, 2004 by Squid

[slothrop]

If he was wired and still managed to screw it up that badly...

[j_b]

ian - did you read those quotes from reuters?

[Ricardo_Montalban]

Many viewers thus saw a squarish bulge the size of a large battery pack under the back of Bush's suit jacket, with an S-shaped cord appearing to snake up the right side of his back.

no no no, that's not a battery pack. that is where the puppet strings attach

[iain]

ian - did you read those quotes from reuters?

 

I did, and I would love it if it were true (though it is frightening too). However, I don't think someone would have the guts to do it for the debates. How could you not be caught? It seems impossible, and too big of a risk. Man, was he bad in those debates though. It was almost painful at times to watch.

[Camilo]

Mid-debate: Kerry should step up to him, pat him down, punch him, and rip the cord out of his ear in front of everybody.

[bDubyaH]

i had no idea metrosexuals were so violent

[ScottP]

Many viewers thus saw a squarish bulge the size of a large battery pack under the back of Bush's suit jacket, with an S-shaped cord appearing to snake up the right side of his back.

no no no, that's not a battery pack. that is where the puppet strings attach

This all reminds me of a Robert Heinlein story..

[Camilo]

i had no idea metrosexuals were so violent

Sorry. . . I just got my chest waxed and I'm cranky.

[mattp]

Sorry, I got all confused and stuff because the same link about the presidential wire was linked in two threads. But during last week's debate there was one point where he paused and said "no, I'm going to answer this" - or something like that - and then he made a statement. I can't remember just what he said but I got the immediate and disctinct impression that he was responding to a teleprompter.

 

Would any of you be surprised by this?

[Mal_Con]

It was a heartplug that Cheney could elctronicly activate if Schrub started to make sense when the drugs wear off.

[iain]

I wouldn't be surprised by this, but if he is accused of this and it is not true, it makes the opposition look a little desperate, in my opinion. There needs to be some fairly solid proof. How can he have an earpiece w/o someone noticing? Perhaps this is why they were so specific about camera angles.

[chucK]

Maybe the Dems got some technogeek to jam his signal and cut him off from his prompter, and that's why he did so poorly last Thursday?

 

I don't see why it's such a big deal though. Why not just have the whole cabinet up there with him while "debating"? It's not like there's ever a time when he has to run the country all by himself anyway. That way we'd at least get it out in the open who we were actually voting for/against.

[mattp]

I just scanned the text from the debate, and it may have been this excerpt:

 

He said I misled on Iraq. I don't think he was misleading when he called Iraq a grave threat in the fall of 2002.

 

I don't think he was misleading when he said that it was right to disarm Iraq in the spring of 2003.

 

I don't think he misled you when he said that, you know, anyone who doubted whether the world was better off without Saddam Hussein in power didn't have the judgment to be president. I don't think he was misleading.

 

I think what is misleading is to say you can lead and succeed in Iraq if you keep changing your positions on this war. And he has. As the politics change, his positions change. And that's not how a commander in chief acts.

 

 

Let me finish.

 

 

The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at, the very same intelligence. And when I stood up there and spoke to the Congress, I was speaking off the same intelligence he looked at to make his decisions to support the authorization of force.

 

 

 

I remember thinking that he was talking to a teleprompter, but I suppose it could have been that he was tlking to Leher. However, seeing as how he had just scored a direct hit and was definitely taking a pause at that moment, it makes much more senst to me that he was responding to the voice in his ear. I don't know what color the lights were, though, and maybe Lehrer (off camera) signalled him that his time was up.

[iain]

Probably he was just distracted by the heavy breathing in his earpiece from Darth Cheney.

[Bill_Simpkins]

The bump in his jacket could have been a backup Lavelier Microphone. The thing to do would be to check if John Kerry had a bump also, that would confirm the microphone thing.

He had a bump on his belt (microphone transmitter for backup to the house PA), and a bump on his back, which is where stage performers tape the ear monitor recievers.

However I didn't see a wire over his ear lobe. So if it was an earpiece, it must have been short range wireless from his reciever on his back.

[marylou]

In reading this, I immediately thought they must have wired the guys with wireless Lavs. Bill beat me to it.

 

It's entirely possible that the mics were either hidden in their hair or in their ties. I would not be at all surprised if they had wireless Lavs as a backup in case something went wrong with the regular mics.

 

It is not at all uncommon to have a backup mic system at a major event.

 

Anyway, if Monkey Boy had Uncle Dick or Rummy talking in his ear, he would have done a LOT better.

 

Edit: I went and looked at the pictures. That is the weirdest place to put a battery pack thing I've ever seen, no matter what the device is. If you put it in the small of the back, it's never seen under a jacket.

Edited October 8, 2004 by marylou

[olyclimber]

Saw the pics and as funny as it would be if it was as a reciever, it is probably more likely that it is some sort of body armor to protect him from evil doers.

[Dru]

What's that game show where they can call out to a friend or ask an expert if they get in trouble?

[Squid]

That would be "Who wants to be a Millionaire" for 500 pts, Alex.

[Fairweather]

I suspect it's a small black box with a red botton in the center labeled "North Korea" or "Iran".

 

Please keep this conspiracy shit up! It effectively reveals the pseudo intellect kook psychology within your circle-jerk.

[cj001f]

I suspect it's a small black box with a red botton in the center labeled "North Korea" or "Iran".

 

Please keep this conspiracy shit up! It effectively reveals the pseudo intellect kook psychology within your circle-jerk.

 

A Republican mentions "kook psychology", "red button", "north korea" and "iran" in the same sentance - and try's to mock the Democrats