Monday, October 11, 2004

"Tie-gate"? Even I have my limits (UPDATED)

Atrios has posted a still from the video which supposedly shows the wire under Bush's tie. Supposedly. You gotta squint.

"I have an open mind," said Teddy Roosevelt, "but that doesn't mean I'll let geese fly around up there." I think what we have here is just a crease in the presidential shirt. If W is receiving an assist -- and I am persuaded that he is -- the wiring wouldn't run up the front.

UPDATE: All right, here's where we get into the realm of epistemology. The science of perception. What is real? Can we trust our eyes?

I just ran the clip another dozen-or-so times and the "wire" now starts to look -- well, wire-ish, as opposed to crease-ish. But I am fully aware that when we study an image too closely, our preconceptions may color our perceptions.

Make your own decision. Look at the clip again -- and again -- and tell me what you see.

As for me: I've switched from skepticism to fence-sitting regarding this piece of evidence.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Notice that he first says something about "Real time messages" and then tucks in his tie (wire?) Maybe it was a subconscious action on his part that is prompted by his statement about "real time messages."

Anonymous said...

I finally found a decent clip where you can see it for yourself. The wire behind his tie is definitely there, and he's tucking it in just after saying "real time messages." How funny is that?

You can't see it on c-span because it's blocked from view by the question that hangs on the screen in the blue box.

I found a clip of the debate on MSNBC.COM, which shows it clearly!

You have to navigate to it.

Go to:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6191353/

On the right, there's a video section that says "LIVE VIDEO". Underneath it you can navigate forward by clicking the arrow to the right. Click it till you get to number 6: "Is Draft Possible?" Then click the "Launch" button.

He will talk for about a minute. When he gets to this point, watch very closely:

"For instance, we're flying unmanned vehicles that can send real-time messages back to stations in the United States. That saves manpower, and it saves equipment."

You can pause and replay if you miss it. He tucks the wire in just after saying "real-time messages."

I just think this is funny. It must have been a subconscious reaction after saying the words "real-time messages."

No wonder he didn't crumble like everyone thought he would!