We've seen that Bush was out of breath in the speech on MSNBC. We've all commented on how he seems to be out of touch with reality, and how it's getting worse.
Well, here's an article that in one swell foop explains it all - the bulge on Bush's back, the drooping facial muscles, the shortness of breath, and the erratic behavior.
Stroke!
C.L. Hallmark at Atlanta Indymedia speculates that when Bush fainted in 2002, he suffered a minor stroke. His father has atrial fibrillation, and so does his mother, and when he fainted in 2002, his heart rate may have slowed to a point that it damaged his brain slightly.
Photos after 2002 show a bulge in George W. Bush's shirt, consistent with a device called a LifeVest. (Image on left.)
The LifeVest (left) has an electrode belt with four sensing/ECG electrodes. These send signals to the heart monitor/defibrillator, typically worn like a holster. When the monitor detects a life-threatening heart arrhythmia, it send a signal to the small, handheld patient-interface module. The module provides an audible alarm. The user, if able to do so, depresses two buttons on the module to hold off a shock from the defibrillator. If the user faints and is unable to press the buttons, the defibrillator sends an electrical pulse to the large shocking electrode on the patient's back and a smaller one on the chest. The pulse can be repeated until the heart starts pumping blood effectively, up to five pulses.
In the center photo, showing Mr. Bush and Sen. Kerry at a debate, one can clearly see the shocking electrode between the shoulder blades as well as the electrical cord leading down to the monitor/defibrillator.
The photo on the right, also from the debates, gives another view of the LifeVest components.
Below we see the president adjusting his necktie, and as he does so, revealing the interface module's gray cord leading down to the monitor/defibrillator. The interface module was located possibly behind his tie.
I noticed at the debates that Bush's face wasn't moving consistently. He'd smile, or at least grimace, but only one side of his face would move - and always the same side. I attributed it to the inability to smile when he was pissed off, but now I have to wonder.
After watching the third presidential debate, Dr. Tongier posted on the Dallas Morning News website about his concerns that the president may have had a stroke. Dr. Tongier has been an anesthesiologist for 15 years. His post said:
"Having watched the first two debates from start to finish, I was looking forward to listening to a spirited debate between Bush and Kerry. Unfortunately, I barely heard a word that was said. Instead, I found myself staring at and concentrating on the president's drooping mouth."
"As a physician and a professor, I tend to pick up on signs and symptoms of physical problems better than most other people. I am highly concerned with what I saw. The drooping left side of the President's face, his mouth and nasolabial fold (the crease in the face running from the nostril to the side of mouth) may be indicative of a recent stroke, TIA (transient ischemic attack) or, possibly botox injections. I sincerely hope this was nothing more than botox injections. The other options are truly scary given an upcoming election for president in three weeks."
In a phone interview reported by Salon.com, Dr. Tongier stressed that he's not a neurologist, and no doctor can make a diagnosis from a 90-minute debate. But he did explain why he found Bush's face so distracting on TV: "It struck me across the face to the point where I wasn't really listening to the debate. It looked like the left side of his mouth was downturned. You know how he sneers at times. At first I thought that's what it was, but it didn't change when his face was at rest. It changed when he talked, but you'd expect that. It's the loss of muscle tone there that's really kind of concerning. And it was pretty much persistent throughout the entire debate."
This diary is just to whet your appetite. Please go and read the entire article. It's detailed, fascinating, and convincing.