The president addressed the bulge that appeared on his back during the first debate. Rumors have flown around the Web that it was a system allowing him to hear advice through an earpiece. Via Froomkin at The Washington Post.
"This morning, in part two of his interview with Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America," Charlie Gibson spit it out. Brandishing a copy of the photo, he asked: "Final question. What the hell was that on your back, in the first debate?"
Bush chuckled.
Bush: "Well, you know, Karen Hughes and Dan Bartlett have rigged up a sound system -- "
Gibson: "You're getting in trouble -- "
Bush: "I don't know what that is. I mean, it is, uh, it is, it's a -- I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt."
Gibson: "It was the shirt?"
Bush: "Yeah, absolutely."
Gibson: "There was no sound system, there was no electrical signal? There was --"
Bush: "How does an electrical -- please explain to me how it works so maybe if I were ever to debate again I could figure it out. I guess the assumption was that if I was straying off course they would, kind of like a hunting dog, they would punch a buzzer and I would jerk back into place. I -- it's just absurd."
Well, Behind the Curtain is certainly persuaded and will let it drop at that.
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