Earpiece? No. I tell you what it looks exactly like: a stethoscope.
I reckon he was listening to his ass before the debate because he wanted to practice listening to Kerry, and forgot to remove it.
Which I guess is how he came up with the shit he did during the debate. 
People, it’s obviously mechanical apparatus to control his breathing and heartbeat. After his battle with Obi-Wan in the lava, he needs it in order to live. Next comes the stylish black cape, black mask, and James Earl Jones’ voice.
Musta been his Sony Walkman. Throughout the debate Bush was listening to a looped tape of ‘Hail to the Chief’ to keep his morale up while Kerry was speaking.
It’s one of the other “internets” he had referred to.
looks like a battery pack for his tiny microphone.???
It’s obvious to me that his bra strap had come undone.
Musta been a steel reinforced bra to have a catch either that big or that shape!
What? Never heard of the Bone Fone?
Bush could have been wearing a secret version. Truly. 
It would explain those odd pauses, and the blank stares.
Is the vp talking into that, or sniffing it?
It’s not a wire, it’s a freakin’ tube.
Exactly. When we look at clouds, we all can put our own interpretations on it. It can look like all manner of things. But when we leave our imaginations out of it, we know that we’re really just looking at a mass of ice, dust, and water vapor.
When we look at this photo, we can all put our own interpretations on it. It can look like all manner of things. But when we leave our imaginations out of it, we know that we’re really just looking at ___________________.
Salon.com claims that a wiring expert says it looks like a remote receiver.
I still think the likeliest explanation is that it’s something associated with National Security and that it was poorly hidden, and that the WH isn’t saying anything about it because
- You don’t want to release NS information unless absolutely necessary, and
- The poor job they did hiding it is kind of embarrassing, and
- They’re trying to give Kerrry enough rope to hang himself.
That said, this is pure speculation on my part; I still don’t know what really comprises these clouds.
Daniel
People, people, people,
why has no-one figured it out?
Its Blair. He is using the event to sneak out of Bushes a-hole, up his back and into his ear. From here, he can get a better idea who were are supposed to be bombing next week - or he just fancied a nibble on Dubya’s lobe (ick !)
Has anyone mentioned that it could be some sort or wireless transmitter, a bullet proof vest, or even a 1920s style death ray ?
Amusing thread though.
Sin
I know Darth Vader. I’ve worked with Darth Vader. Darth Vader is a friend of mine. President Bush is no Darth Vader.
“The force is…it’s strong…the kid has a great force.”
I personally don’t see anything but a suit wrinkle but I can’t rule out the possibility that it is a chupacabra attached to his back sucking out that sweet, sweet spinal fluid.
I actually saw Katie Couric ask Tim Russert about the back lump on Today this morning. I think that this is just a bit to big now :rolleyes:
Isn’t it obvious? It is Dick Cheney’s hand.
Back to the world of the real – I’ll thrown in my two cents as someone who’s looked at a lot of the pictures and the debate video, and as a media technician who works with wireless systems quite a bit.
There are numerous clear right profile shots of GWB, and there is no wire leading up to his ear from under his collar. Therefor, the box on the back was NOT used a receiver for an earphone. It simply makes no sence that the box would be needed to receive a signal from elsewhere and then re-transmit it to a separate earphone receiver no more than 6 inches away.
The only other possible way Bush could have used it to cheat would be if the “wire” looking thing going up to his collar had a tiny speaker on it – conceivably he would be able to understand the sounds emanating from under his collar. I discount this because it is almost a certainty, and certainly too great a risk of detection to try such a stunt, that the live broadcast microphone Bush was holding would have picked up some of the sounds from this little speaker. Even people sitting near him might have heard it.
The only conclusion I’m willing to draw is that he was almost surely not being prompted through it. Anything else is just guesswork – my best gueeses wold be a security or medical device.
Perhaps it’s a remote injector. When his handlers feel the Pres is getting a little overstimulated and anxious, they hit a button that gives him a liitle morphone buzz. He pauses, shakes his head, smiles, and starts off on fresh tangent.
Space raccoons!
I know, I know, it’s a bash, but to me, it looks like a forked tail tucked up there…
The Salon article referred to above has a couple more pictures that I found interesting.
One is of the President driving his truck on the ranch, and there is a strange shape on his back under his shirt. The second picture is of the second debate showing, again, an odd shape under his suit.
As much as I am a fan of Salon, the expert’s opinion that it could be a descrambler for a Secret Service emergency radio doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense to me. (And to be fair to Salon, the article states that the radio theory is farfetched but that the real reason also seems elusive.)
Looking at the second debate photo from that link, I still lean toward body armor. I think that his suit is pressed up against the padding. The armor shown on the link earlier just covers the torso like an A-neck t-shirt. I find it to be not unreasonable that movement of the body could cause the clothing to press against the edge of the padding.
I think that it is perfectly fair for the President to wear body armor and for the Secret Service to not want it revealed.
Here is a link to the Crawford picture that doesn’t require a subscription.
I cannot find a public version of the other picture, but if someone else can that would be appreciated.
If it is armor, it’s pretty light duty. The real stuff, with the plates and all, is way bulkier than what would fit under what Bush is wearing. Cops around here sometomes wear it, and it’s very obvious. You can see it on the troops in Iraq, too.
I think some conservative voters might react negatively to Bush wearing armor under those conditions. Especially if Kerry wasn’t.
Could it be a medical brace or truss?