What amazes me about the Bush Bulge story is how totally ineptly the White House has dealt with this thing. It would have been so easy to kill this rumor dead: bring on the doctors to say he's healthy, the Secret Service to say there's no electronic device, etc.
Instead, the White House brings out … the White House tailor. Never mind that Georges de Paris (!) looks like he moonlights at Hogwarts, the “bulge” he points to in this picture looks like a little ridge—the sort I get on my suits when I hunch up, not a box.
Furthermore, as you can see in this nice recap of the Bush bulge issue, a somewhat similar bulge appears inside Bush's t-shirt!
This is complete BS. Hagrid there is pointing at a clearly horizontal line. Every bush picture is clearly a vertical line in the suit. And if it were true, why would anyone except George DeParis have a problem admitting it? Why would the White House tell him mum’s the word to the degree he’s lying to journalists about his identity and whereabouts?
Someone needs to get their arse to bond street and interview some competent haberdashers for an industry standard on this…
No, no, Hagrid is HUGE, this must be Flitwick.
“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” There are many plausible explanations for the bulge that do not reflect poorly on the President. The only mystery is why the white house decided to insist that something millions of television viewers saw with their own eyes is not there. My suspicion is that it’s a gullibility test: Bush put a useless box under his own suit just to see how many people would accept his denial of its existence. Looks like the American press mostly failed.
I saw a whole series of such photos with Bush’s bulge* on cryptome.org a while back.
*Every time I hear or read that word, which is very frequent of late, I keep thinking back to those hilarios sketches on the original SNL with Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd as the two swinging Czechoslovakian brothers, the wild and crazy guys.
Has anybody considered whether it could be body armor?
Apparently, what ever it is, he’s wearing it all of the time. I do think it must be some sort of transmitter. But if it was used to help him in the debates why did he do so poorly in the first one. The DNC and JFK are not really discussing it so my guess is 1) they are saving it for the last few days or 2) it has to do with the security of the President.
My inclination is that it is something personally embarassing but not a violation of debate rules–something like a girdle or other vanity device. Which would explain why the White House is handling it so woodenly–after the grief Kerry keeps taking as somewhat less than manly (and, particularly, after that post-debate Fox “spoof” on manicures) the last thing they need is the revelation that Bush is wearing some sort of man-corset to look good on camera.
Following on Matthew’s comment that it may be something personally embarassing, here’s a theory I’d like to toss off: Has anyone seen the movie “How to Get Ahead in Advertising”?
Somehow the first thing that pops into mind is: We represent the Lolli-Pop Kids,…
umm, it’s a little head that says “quade, quade, start the reactor!” ?
If it is body armor, it’s very odd body armor. There are none of the tell-tall ridges at neck and armpit, nor the usual barrel chesting.
Having worn a lot of types of body armor the only thing which makes sense is a trauma plate, in a modified harness (a trauma plate, with no other armor would work, and be less obvious) but that makes no sense, as the visible object is from the rear.
TK
Apparently, what ever it is, he’s wearing it all of the time. I do think it must be some sort of transmitter. But if it was used to help him in the debates why did he do so poorly in the first one. The DNC and JFK are not really discussing it so my guess is 1) they are saving it for the last few days or 2) it has to do with the security of the President.
I have a low-tech possibility. It also accounts for the differing shapes the bulge seemed to go through.
Remember all the BS about Kerry being a “sweater?” But every pic I saw of w stumping in hot places, he was the one with big pits and the back of his shirt was sodden.
If you’re attacking your opponent for some trait, you don’t want to display it yourself. There are varying types of cool packs/bandanas available to keep pets (and humans) cooler in hot conditions. I have been buying the human bandanas for my black dog for years — sold in the sporting goods department and I’m certain frat-boys-who-pretend-to-fish-in-Texas would be aware of them — particularly since the brand I’m looking at is manufactured there by Prism Enterprises, Inc., of San Antonio. It’s a simple tube of fabric with some crystals inside that expand to about the diameter of a nickel when soaked in water — the bandanas from Prism would be approximately the same shape as the oblong lump that extended down w’s spine, if doubled and wrapped — malleable, which would explain rounded edges.
I don’t imagine it would be beyond their abilities to transfer the crystals to another type of packaging in the effort to make it less detectable for the later debates since w has to hunch over, but there are also other variations on the same theme available from pet catalogues like http://www.drsfostersmith.com (The human bandanas are similar to the pet bandanas the website sells, just cheaper, and the triangular excess material is cut off)
The placement makes sense for a cooling device — at least if what I always heard about reducing body temp quickly by placing cold packs at the base of the neck — the placement of all of them would be about as close to that as possible and still hope for some concealment. Also, wouldn’t it being close to the heart also help by cooling the blood being pumped out?
Anti-depressant SSRIs (if the dosage is not right and the person gets too much Seratonin) can create problems regulating one’s body temperature — hot flashes, hot lights, hot head….
Just a thought —
I figure the reason he skipped his physical this year is much more interesting…