The health of Bush

Although a lot of jokes have been made about Bush's jacket bulge, I never could believe that he was capable of processing a live feed and speaking, at the same time. The bulletproof vest seemed a more likely explanation, despite the Administration's denials--but then they denied that there was anything there at all.

A more interesting discussion of the odd shape beneath Bush's jacket comes from Kevin Drum's blog, The Washington Monthly. Drum provides pictures from each of the debates showing that Bush had the same boxy shape under his jacket during each debate. Drum's "medical contraption" link provides information on a portable, wearable defibrillator that looks very much like the bulge under the jacket.

That immediately reminded me of Bush's fainting episode (the pretzel attack), which could have been caused by cardiac arrhythmia. Then I remembered that Bush skipped his physical this August because he was too busy campaigning.

The president's medical records have to be made public, and either an implanted defibrillator or a pharmaceutical treatment would show up on his records. Drum also links to Dr. Zebra's site, "The Medical History of George W. Bush," which also mentions the "syncope" (blackout or fainting) episode.

So maybe he's having trouble with heart rhythm? It seems far more likely than any other proposed explanation. Stress can trigger arrythymia and syncope--and the debates obviously put Bush in an agitated and aggrevated state--so a strap-on defibrillator now gets my vote for the question of the bulge.