[Bush gal in LA]

its white and rectangular! How could it be a pen?

[FesterUSMC]

ITS NOT A PEN!

[piasa]

Well, conceivably a glint of light off of a shiny pen could look like a line. And if it is in motion, it could look like a smeared line... which under perfect conditions could appear as a series of white lines parallel to each other - so closely that they look a white rectangle. (Recall how a point of light lke a star appears as a line and not a point in time lapse photography.)

But in the case of a pen the glare is more likely to look like a white off-of-square parallogram or rhombus since the human hand usually doesn't move in just one direction in space.

Since pens are also a violation of the debate rules, the Kerry campaign should have said the white shape was just a goofy shirt sleeve cuff.