HOW TO WATCH BUSH AND HIS CAPOS ON TV

[This guide is from an FBI document but presumably applies to
politicians on Sunday talk shows as well persons being questioned by the
agency]

JOE NAVARRO, M.A., and JOHN R. SCHAFER - Although detecting deception
remains difficult, investigators increase the odds for success by
learning a few basic nonverbal and verbal cues indicative of lying.

Lying requires the deceiver to keep facts straight, make the story
believable, and withstand scrutiny. When individuals tell the truth,
they often make every effort to ensure that other people understand. In
contrast, liars attempt to manage others' perceptions. Consequently,
people unwittingly signal deception via nonverbal and verbal cues.
Unfortunately, no particular nonverbal or verbal cue evinces deception.

Investigators' abilities to detect deceptive behavior depends largely on
their ability to observe, catalogue, and differentiate human behavior.
They must identify clusters of behavior, which cumulatively reinforce
deceptive behaviors unique to the person interviewed. Investigators also
should learn to formulate questions to facilitate behavioral
observations. The more observations investigators make, the greater the
probability of detecting deception. For the most part, family members
and close friends display patterns of genuine openness. For
inexperienced investigators, these behavioral patterns may serve as a
comparative reference for contrast with deceptive behaviors.

The ideal setting for an interview places the interviewee in a position
where no obstacles, such as tables or desks, block the interviewer's
full view of the subject's body. A large portion of nonverbal behaviors
emanates from the lower body, not just from the hands and face. Feet
that fidget or point to the door communicate discomfort. If subjects sit
behind a desk or table, officers should encourage them to relocate.
Deceivers often use soda cans, computer screens, and other objects, both
large and small, to form a barrier between themselves and investigators.
Objects used in this manner create distance, separation, and partial
concealment - behaviors consistent with dishonesty.

Many investigators rely too heavily on eye contact. Research indicates
that people, especially frequent liars, actually increase eye contact
because they learned that investigators often gauge veracity by strong
eye contact. Nevertheless, eye aversion during difficult questions, as
opposed to benign questions, can depict distress. . .

When people hear or see something they disagree with or do not fully
support, their eyelids tend to close longer than a normal blink. This
automatic response occurs so quickly that most extended eye closures go
unnoticed. By cataloging a person's baseline eye responses during
non-stressful conversation, investigators can compare the eye responses
with those during critical questions.

Hand or finger movement to the eyes usually follows a prolonged eye
closure, further blocking out auditory or visual stimuli. Additionally,
individuals who struggle with an idea or concept often blink their eyes
rapidly. Rapid blinking or "eyelid flutter" signals a sensitive topic.
Officers carefully should observe the speaker's eyes, which can alert to
the possibility of deception.

Head movements should comport with verbal denials or affirmations. For
example, an inconsistent head movement occurs when individuals say, "I
did not do it" while their head subtly nods affirmatively. Investigators
often miss inconsistencies between the spoken word and nonverbal
behavior.

When people feel comfortable, they tend to mirror the head movements of
the person with whom they converse. An unwillingness to mirror the
investigator's head movements or other gestures could indicate
discomfort, reluctance to cooperate, or, possibly, deceit.

Truthful people tend to lean forward as they converse; liars tend to
move away. Therefore, if speakers lean backward when telling their
version of events, the statement likely involves some deception or
reluctance to provide information.

People who attempt to conceal information often breathe faster taking a
series of short breaths followed by one long deep breath. This irregular
breathing pattern can tip investigators to speakers' increased anxiety
levels. Additionally, stress often causes a dry mouth, resulting in
repeated clearing of the throat, cracking of the voice, or jumping of
the Adam's apple (laryngeal cartilages). Likewise, a tense mouth with
pursed lips may represent extreme distress and signify that speakers
literally restrain themselves emotionally, verbally, and physically.

Confident people usually spread out in an area. Less secure people tend
to occupy less space, fold their arms, and interlock their legs.
Similarly, a person whose lips, hands, or fingers tremble or who hides
their hands may exhibit low confidence, although these characteristics
do not guarantee deception.

A liar rarely points a finger or emphasizes with hand gestures. Finger
pointing or hand movements exude confidence - qualities liars usually
lack. The finger-pointing cue usually does not apply to actors or
politicians because they train themselves to appear confident during
public appearances. Also, liars rarely display steepling - fingertips
touching each other forming a triangle with both hands, which,
symbolically, represents assurance of thought or position.

Liars often slouch in chairs feigning comfort. Liars may even yawn
repeatedly reinforcing the appearance of relaxation, even boredom. In
addition, yawning during stressful situations or spreading out on a
couch or chair when circumstances call for tension and discomfort
portends deception.

Liars often keep their hands motionless and draw their arms close to
their bodies into a position as if "flash frozen." In many cases,
speakers' knuckles turn white as they clutch the armrest.

Liars prefer concealing the truth rather than fabricating an entirely
fictitious story. With concealment, the liar only needs to avoid
revealing untrue information. In other words, the liar conveys the truth
up to the event he wants to hide. At this point, the liar uses a "text
bridge" to gloss over the concealed activity. After crossing this
sensitive area, the liar again relays the truth. The use of text bridges
alerts the investigator to a topic that may require closer examination.

Text bridges enable the speaker to fast forward through time connecting
salient events without discussing the included activities. For example,
if a man says, "After I took a shower, I ate breakfast." The listener
assumes that the man disrobed, turned on the water, got into the shower,
washed his body with soap, rinsed the soap off his body, shampooed his
hair, rinsed his hair, turned off the water, got out of the shower, and
dried himself with a towel. Someone reluctant to tell the truth often
uses this same technique to gloss over sensitive topics. For example, a
person reports the following: "I left the house to go to work, and when
I returned home, I found my wife lying in a pool of blood." The text
bridge "when I returned home. . . " should alert investigators to
missing information. Investigators should examine, in detail, the man's
activities from the time he left the house until the time he returned.
The interview should not proceed until the speaker adequately explains
his activities. Some commonly used text bridges include "I don't
remember. . . ," "the next thing I knew. . . ," "later on ," "shortly
thereafter. . . ," "afterwards. . . ," "after that. . . ," "while ,"
"even though. . . ," "when. . . ," "then. . . ," "besides. . . ,"
"consequently. . . ," "finally. . . ," "however. . . ," and "before. . .
."

Stalling tactics, such as asking the investigator to repeat the
question, provides additional time for deceivers to think up an
appropriate answer. Liars typically ask investigators to repeat
questions without realizing that honest conversations do not require the
restatement of questions. Other stalling phrases include "It depends on
what you mean by that," "Where did you hear that?" "Where's this
information coming from?" "Could you be more specific?" or "How dare you
ask me something like that." The phrases "Well, it's not so simple as
yes or no," or "That's an excellent question," also provides speakers
with additional time.

Research shows that guilty people often avoid using contractions.
Instead of saying, "It wasn't me," liars will say, "It was not me," to
ensure the listener clearly hears the denial. Additionally, liars
euphemize to avoid reality. Likewise, responses such as, "I would never
do that," "Lying is below me," "I have never lied," or "I would never
lie," or, "I would never do such a thing" should alert investigators to
the possibility of deception. Other statements such as: "to be perfectly
frank. . . ," "to be honest. . . ," "to be perfectly truthful. . . ," or
"I was always taught to tell the truth," often intend to deceive.

Making a positive statement negative provides the liar with the
quickest, easiest answer to an accusation. For example, the investigator
asks, "Did you steal the money?" The person responds, "No, I did not
steal the money." The guilty person responds quickly to avoid the
impression of a delayed answer. A variation of this technique occurs
when a person answers "yes" or "no" immediately, but the explanation
comes more slowly because the liar needs time to construct an answer.

Deceptive people rarely include negative details in their explanation of
events, unless, of course, the story concerns delayed or canceled plans.
Truthful people reference the negative as well as the positive events in
their stories.

Silence makes many people uncomfortable. Liars usually continue speaking
until they confirm that the listener accepts their version as the truth.
If investigators stare patiently in silence unconvinced, the deceitful
person likely will reveal information, not in response to questions but
rather to fill the silence.

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2001/july2001/july01leb.htm#page_10