SOMETIMES YOU’VE GOT TO GO WITH THE HUNCH

Well, the factoids are all in: a large number of more-or-less insider bloggers say into one ear that Dubya was wired to his earlobes during the second debate (and at other times as well), while into the other ear a Bush spokesman ("Bush Camp Scoffs at Rumor" (the Bush Camp is really good at scoffing)) prompts: “Some people have been spending too many hours looking at left-wing conspiracy web sites."

So during those irrationally long, mid-sentence deer-in-the-headlights pauses, Dubya was either waiting for a message from his handlers, or he was waiting for a message from his brain. I'm not sure which is worse.