A rectangular protrusion visible on President George W. Bush's back during his late-September debate against John Kerry sparked days of online speculation, with bloggers suggesting he had worn a hidden radio receiver linked to an offstage aide.
Bush campaign officials flatly denied any device was involved, attributing the shape to fabric bunching in the jacket. A White House spokeswoman declined to engage with the question entirely. The campaign called internet theories about the matter baseless.
Despite that pushback, both the New York Times and the Washington Post devoted coverage to the story on 9 October 2004, signaling that what began as a web curiosity had reached mainstream news outlets.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.