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["Alan MacHett" <machett AT ibiblio.org>]

[I apologize for the cross-posting, KJ and Michael;
I believe you're the only two...]
===================================================

1st my analysis of the theory; 2nd my analysis of the situation:

(1) I've worn a "wire" before, courtesy of SOCOM.  There are plenty of
reasons why all of this is probably bullshit.
    (a) As Michael C. pointed out and as I know from experience, these
things don't actually have wires; unless BushCo is using some
seriously antiquated hardware, as in decades-old hardware.  If I could
wear a wireless ear-bud in 1994, then I'm certain BushCo is more than
capable of the same ten years on.
    (b) Tony S. pointed out that it might be a requirement for security
reasons.  That's an excellent point.  The Secret Service prefers to
stick close to the President, so they can take the bullet for him. 
Presumably they had the building and surrounding blocks locked down
pretty well.  Nonetheless, it would be wise to be able to immediately
tell the President to duck and roll while agents swarmed from the
wings.  Still, I refer you back to point (a).
    (c) Maybe it is just a bunched-up line from his shirt.  Maybe he had a
team of makeup people tugging and pulling and clothes-pinning his
clothes from behind so he looked good from the front.  And as such,
they wouldn't have wanted images of him from behind.  One would
presume his clothes are tailored already, but who knows.  I learned
from some documentary last year that all those picture-perfect images
on covers or in catalogs are the results of a lot of clothes pins and
padding and whatever else they have to do to make the dress fit the
model...

(2) Finally, though, even if the conspiracy is true, who cares?
    (a) It's a moot point.  The polls already showed Kerry as the victor,
so whoop-dee-doo; obviously the earpiece didn't help.
    (b) And so what if he got help getting his shit together?  Ever since
Kennedy they've been taking pointers on what to say and how to say it.
 The President /does//not/ have a microchip implanted in his brain to
tune into the pulse of America.  If anything, he was just getting some
instant fact-checking or counter-points from his behind-the-scenes
team.  Hell, I'd want to have my facts straight before I opened my
mouth.  It happens on the nightly news every day.  Whoop-dee-doo.  And
again, I refer you to (a); it obiously didn't help.

my $1.02,
Alan