Cheney to Take Reins During President's Colonoscopy

Routine exam briefly gives VP power
By Heather McPherson,  Newser User
Posted Jul 20, 2007 5:21 PM CDT
Cheney to Take Reins During President's Colonoscopy
Vice President Dick Cheney, right, and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 25, 2007. Cheney will assume power temporarily during Bush's examination (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)

President Bush will undergo a routine colon exam tomorrow, leaving Dick Cheney in the driver's seat for roughly 2½ hours while he's under anesthesia. Bush's personal physician will supervise the procedure, in the medical facility at Camp David. This will be the second time the VP has acted as president; the first was during Bush's last colonoscopy, in 2002.

The president had colon polyps removed before his election; press secretary Snow said today "there's a reasonable chance" doctors will find more of the growths during the colorectal-cancer screening, Reuters reports. Snow, who is undergoing treatment for colon cancer, told reporters, "The president wants to encourage everybody to use surveillance," CNN reports. (More presidency stories.)

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