Bush's Watch Stolen?
Watch this video very carefully; it’s President Bush working the crowds in Albania. At 0.50 minutes into the clip, Bush has a watch. At 1.04 minutes into the clip, he had a watch.
The U.S. is denying that his watch was stolen:
Photographs showed Bush, surrounded by five bodyguards, putting his hands behind his back so one of the bodyguards could remove his watch.
I simply don’t see that in the video. Bush’s arm is out in front of him during the entire nine seconds between those stills.
Another denial:
An Albanian bodyguard who accompanied Bush in the town told The Associated Press he had seen one of his U.S. colleagues close to Bush bend down and pick up the watch.
That’s certainly possible; it may have fallen off.
But possibly the pickpocket of the century. (Although would anyone actually be stupid enough to try? There must be a zillion easier-to-steal watches in that crowd, many of them nicer than Bush’s.)
EDITED TO ADD (6/12): This article says that he wears ar $50 Timex. It also has some more odd denials.
EDITED TO ADD (6/13): In this video, from another angle, it seems clear that Bush removes the watch himself.