Wires?

Okay, I'm biting on the whole wired Shrub thingie. To me, it makes no difference if he's spouting stuff the Rove made him memorize before the debates or if he's getting it in an earpiece--either way he's clearly a toady, so what's the big deal? I guess since his followers actually believe that he's an off-the-cuff, no nonsense guy, it would be a devestating blow to their image of him, but since the White House is determined to deny it, I don't see how it's going to make much of a difference. White House denials will always be believed by followers, unless there's hard evidence. (And even then, some will keep on believing, especially those who have mixed their religious faith with their enthusiasm for this President.)

Still, it's obvious looking at the pictures Salon has today that he's wired for something. Is it an earpiece? The tech guy they interview thinks that it's a tracker:

Darbut speculates that the device the president wears is provided by the Secret Service, noting, "They're not going to have him driving around the countryside on his ranch without being in instant contact with him."

This is what I don't get about White House denials. They will look you in the face and tell you the sky is green and they will stick with that lie even though they look ridiculous. Don't they know the more plausible lie is the one with some truth stirred in? Why not just say it's a security device the Secret Service makes him wear and make a couple grave intonations about the terrorist threat to Bush's safety and leave it at that? The liberal bloggers wouldn't buy it, but it would leave the White House an out if someone gets a picture of a wire poking out or something. And it's not like you can blame the guy for doing what his security people want him to do to stay safe.

Or can you? This is what the chief of staff said about any wires:

The president is "a regular guy," White House chief of staff Andy Card told Salon's Tim Grieve before the second debate last week. "Maybe his suit had a little lump in it or something."

Just more evidence that the image of Bush as the scrappy fighter who rose up to President on his strength and wits is such a house of cards that even a small thing like the fact that he has to use security is enough to make the entire image fall apart. I guess his followers believe that he would single-handedly fight terrorists who attack him personally and that bullets aimed at him would be deflected by the heavenly force field that the Lord provides holy men like the Shrub.