# Did Bush Have an Earpiece During the Press Conference? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963 "2004-04-14T14:04:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/1 "2004-04-14T14:04:20Z")
When he spoke, he seemed to pause for abnormally long periods, and his eyes would shift as if he was listening to something. I thought perhaps he had a miniature earpiece by which somebody was helping him. Is this a common tool that presidents use? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/2 "2004-04-14T14:09:48Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > …Is this a common tool that presidents use? Well President Palmer used one at a live debate in a recent episode of 24… ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/3 "2004-04-14T14:31:17Z")
I don’t see one in the [right ear](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040414/ids_photos_india_wl/ra3743188094.jpg) or the [left ear](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040414/ids_photos_india_wl/ra2881671092.jpg). Maybe he was listening to the brain implant. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/4 "2004-04-14T14:46:58Z")
I didn’t notice anything in his ears either. My guess is that the long pauses in his responses were because it was a live news conference and he didn’t have much advanced notice of the specific questions that were to be asked. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/5 "2004-04-14T15:35:38Z")
I imagine by now they have developed ear pieces that are nearly undetectable. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had one in though it certainly didn’t help him any, the man bumbled his way through the entire thing, it was embarassing. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/6 "2004-04-14T16:06:38Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I don’t see one in the… > > Maybe he was listening to the brain implant. Well, if it was noticable, this would be a pretty dumb question, wouldn’t it? Sorry I didn’t fill in all the blanks for you, but technology has advanced to the point where it is possible to wear a listening device that is indetectable. It was difficult to see my grandfather’s cheap hearing aid unless you looked real closely, and he died 10 years ago. So I’m thinking that the president of the US would have access to somrthing slightly more advanced. I could be wrong though. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/7 "2004-04-14T16:59:16Z")
geeeeez, that’s why I suggested that he might have a brain implant. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/8 "2004-04-14T17:06:06Z")
I thought he always does that – every time he talks it’s like he’s listening and repeating. It explains some of the stumbling and mis-speaking. I think the guy is just an empty suit. ---
**Author:** ![Flying\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Flying\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flying_Monk)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/9 "2004-04-14T17:11:40Z")
Gotta put something in that head of his… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/10 "2004-04-14T18:22:59Z")
Would it be feasable for a member of the press corp to carry a little wide-spectrum radio receiver to record any hypothetical prompting? Or would that open them up to prosecution for espionage or somesuch? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/11 "2004-04-14T19:57:09Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > I thought perhaps he had a miniature earpiece by which somebody was helping him… Based upon his performance, we can rule out “help”. Unless he lined up a helper who was an unprepared, ineloquent, babbling moron. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/12 "2004-04-14T20:05:08Z")
Sometimes, it appeared more like he was reading from a prompter in his podium. Perhaps an aide was typing in key phrases to previously rehearsed responses, or an outright answer for the President to read? Is this a possibility? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/13 "2004-04-14T20:27:46Z")
More likely that he was straining to recall the wording that was given to him in his prep-session. “Now Mister President, when a press member asks you about \, you say \.” Making sure he told the literal truth, regardless of how much he needed to spin it. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/14 "2004-04-14T21:08:44Z")
I seriously doubt he had any real-time ear prompting. There was a portion of the Q&A where he was grasping for the word “kidnappers” or “hostages” or something of that nature (I forget). He was hemming and hawing like mad hoping it would come to him. I remember the episode because I yelled the word at the screen to release my frustration with his grasping. He never did find the exact term he wanted, but fudged around the concept. If he had a real-time earpiece prompter, they would have fed him the word. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/15 "2004-04-14T21:12:29Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Sometimes, it appeared more like he was reading from a prompter in his podium. Perhaps an aide was typing in key phrases to previously rehearsed responses, or an outright answer for the President to read? Is this a possibility? I would accept this answer more easily than an earphone, since teleprompters are already in widespread use, and universally accepted by press and audiences. Even the little reflectors that appear are now ignored. And as an experienced Toastmaster, I have to say it’s considerably easier to read a script or notes while speaking than to listen to verbal prompts while speaking. Now, that said, it’s technically possible to insert a receiver and speaker in the tooth, and use bone conduction, thereby eliminating any visible sign of a receiver or earphone. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/16 "2004-04-14T21:21:49Z")
> [@bughunter](#): > > …that said, it’s technically possible to insert a receiver and speaker in the tooth, and use bone conduction, thereby eliminating any visible sign of a receiver or earphone. [Heh…](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089886/) _Voice_: And from now on, George, stop looking for WMDs! _GWB_: It IS God! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/17 "2004-04-14T21:33:22Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Maybe he was listening to the brain implant. I always believed Bush ultimately follows the voices in his head, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Flying\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Flying\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flying_Monk)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/18 "2004-04-14T21:55:18Z")
Aren’t all these press conferences scripted anyway? I thought that was standard practice… ---
**Author:** ![Cyrano9839](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Cyrano9839](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyrano9839)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/19 "2004-04-14T22:05:43Z")
He couldn’t possibly have been reading from a teleprompter. His lips weren’t moving. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-have-an-earpiece-during-the-press-conference/239963/20 "2004-04-14T22:13:16Z")
> [@Flying\_Monk](#): > > Aren’t all these press conferences scripted anyway? I thought that was standard practice… I don’t think the questions were scripted by the Whitehouse, or the questions vetted beforehand. His staff likely prepared him for possible questions, but based on GWB’s responses I’d have to say he didn’t have pat answers memorized.