President Bush's tailor breaks the White House silence on whether the bulge in Bush's suit was due to an earpiece :

President Bush's tailor yesterday pooh-poohed an Internet conspiracy theory that a boxy bulge visible between President Bush's shoulder blades during the first debate could have been some kind of prompting device. Georges de Paris, who made the suit worn by Bush, said the bulge was nothing more than a pucker along the jacket's back seam, accentuated when the president crossed his arms and leaned forward.

A pucker? Somehow, I don't think this is going to settle the matter.

This comes from an AP news article on the debate... not an op-ed piece or editorial.

President Bush smirked and winked and chuckled to himself. He jumped from his stool, chopped at the air and interrupted the debate moderator. As he fought to keep his emotions in check during a combative debate with Sen. John Kerry, the president jokingly said, "That answer almost made me want to scowl."

Several answers brought Bush's emotions to the surface, for better or worse, as he sought to curb Kerry's momentum.

The question that hung over the second of their three debates was whether Bush's aggressive, hyper style was an effective tool or a damaging habit - an extension of his disastrous first debate performance. Reviews were mixed.

Bush "seemed wound a bit too tight. He was a little like Nixon - sort of jumping out of his suit," said David Niven, political science professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. "He looked bad on the TV close-ups."

That's quite an indictment, don't you think?

Update: Digby on "America's Ex-Husband." Michael Tomasky, writing for American Prospect, says, Hello Gender Gap.

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Oliver Willis has the video of Bush flipping out at Charlie Gibson.

Billmon returns from hiatus to say:

If Kerry and the Dems can't make an issue out of the fact that the president of the United States is utterly incapable of controlling his hairtrigger temper, they don't deserve to win this election. I mean, the man is a walking time bomb.

Markos of Daily Kos:

Sh*t, this isn't even close. This is worse than last Tuesday's debate for Bush. He's rude, loud, arrogant, angry, and has been outmaneouvered by Kerry on question after question. This one isn't even close. Not even close.

Kevin Drum:

OFF HIS MEDS?....I've been surfing around TV a little bit, and the one thing that surprises me is that there's very little comment about George Bush's demeanor, especially during the first half hour. His voice was several notches above presidential, he was interrupting both Charlie Gibson and the questioners, he was leaping to his feet, he was jabbing the air with Ross Perot-like abandon, and there were at least a couple of times when he looked like he was about to leap into the audience and throttle someone. It's one thing to be passionate, but it's quite another to look like you're off your meds and need to be restrained.

Atrios:

ALERT: These polls are ongoing and can remain open for up to two days-- VOTE NOW and spread the word.

* MSNBC
Ongoing Poll Results

Kerry: 78%

Bush: 22%

* CNN (Scroll Down to 'Quick Vote')
Ongoing Poll Results

Kerry: 83%

Bush: 16%

* CBS News
Ongoing Poll Results

Kerry: 88%

Bush: 11%

* Fox News (Scroll Down)
Ongoing Poll Results

Kerry: 70%

Bush: 30%

John Kerry won, hands down. He had concrete answers. He was Presidential. He showed his knowledge and exposed Bush's mistakes.

Bush was defensive, belligerant and condescending at times. He keeps playing up the fear factor. He doesn't get it. He's detached. He's scary.

Your thoughts?

Update: Media Spin

• Chris Matthews: Biased for Bush, again.
• Bill Kristol and Mort Kondrake on Fox: Both said Kerry won the debate.
• Bill Clinton: Hillary says Bill says Kerry hit it out of the park. (She's on Larry King Live.)
• Hillary: Bush couldn't think of anything he did wrong, he didn't have a plan, particularly for change, and everyone knows we need change. Race will be close, but Kerry will win. Kerry was clear winner tonight, President said same old-same old.

Polls:

ABC POLL: Who Won The Debate:
Kerry: 44%
Bush: 41%

Update 5 8:35 closings: Kerry's is good. Concrete plans. He's presidential. Articulate. Engaged.

Bush: Soft-speaking, mealy. Touting his economic successes. He still doesn't get it. Instead of a plan, he announces goals. "We will be safe."

8:30: Bush is asked to name three of his mistakes. He bobs and weaves, trying not to say he didn't make any but not acknowledging any specific ones. Kerry has Bush's mistakes down pat. Gets in another shot at Bush for going to war.

"Saddam was a risk to our country, man." Man?

Update #4: 8:20 pm Kerry is good on the Patriot Act abuses. He opposes sneak and peek's. He opposes detentions where people can't challenge their confinement. But he says he supports the Act. Which portions?

The stem cell questioner has to be a plant. Could anyone who is that much against embryonic stem cells not be a pro-lifer whose mind is made up? Bush's relaxed answer shows he knows he has this questioner, there's no threat. Nonetheless, Kerry is great on his second shot at the answer.

Onto the Supreme Court: Bush says he hasn't decided who to put on the Supreme Court yet. He wouldn't pick a judge who ruled against the Pledge of Allegiance or the one who decided Dred Scott. How timely. He would pick strict constructionists. No litmus test except for how they interpret the Constitution. Kerry blows Bush out of the water on this one.

Another pro-lifer question. Uncommitted, please. I'm surprised Charlie Gibson allowed these questions to be posed in such a partisan manner.

Update #3 8:07 pm: Bush says he's been a good steward of the land. Now we know we can't believe a word he says. Kerry is becoming more confident and natural as the debate goes on. He's in his stride now, and Bush seems angry and petulant.

Update #2 7:50 pm. This debate is kind of a snooze. The audience is about as homogenous as you can get. Very little diversity. Too many are keeping their arms folded across their chests when one or the other talks, hardly the sign of an uncommitted voter.

If Civil Rights, human rights, prison reform and drug policy reformer advocates across America want to have a real and positive impact on Congress in the 2004 election, they will seriously consider voting for their Democratic candidates in House races. Regardless of any personal third party inclinations.

Democratic control of the U.S. House of Representatives will mean John Conyers, D-MI, a drug war policy reform advocate, will become the first Black chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. For progressive voters across America this is an electoral outcome well worth voting for.

[Received from Pat Rogers.]

Don't let the title to this article in the OC Weekly put you off. Read the 60 reasons to vote against Bush. Many of them are dead-on. There's something for everyone here. One of my favorites:

15. The Patriot Act does little to defend you from terrorists but greatly increases the government’s power to get all up in your mess. Phone and Internet records can now be searched without warrants; police can see what books you’ve checked out of the library, but libraries are prohibited from informing you about the inquiry; your religious and political activities can be scrutinized even if the government doesn’t suspect criminal activity; you may be jailed without being charged, denied a lawyer or the chance to confront witnesses against you, and held indefinitely without a trial. Bush’s boys apparently still don’t feel they’ve dismantled civil liberties enough: they’re reportedly at work on the Patriot Act II.

Here's another:

Go ahead, just try and cast your vote for Kerry.

Questions that surfaced on the internet about whether Bush was wired with an earpiece so his advisors could speak to him during the debate are gaining steam. Salon reports here.

Prior Internet reports are here and here.

Listen to the mp3 yourself- or watch the video at c-span --fast forward to 40 min 30 sec.

Not convinced? Here's another:

Lots more here.

Update: The LA Times asks if Bush is "a dope" in its Wednesday editorial. It concludes he isn't, but says he's mentally lazy.

Great news! A just-released AP poll has Kerry taking a small lead over Bush.

The poll shows Bush's support "tumbling" on "personal qualities, the war in Iraq, and the commander in chief's bedrock campaign issue — national security."