July 20, 2007

Bush To Undergo Colonoscopy; Cheney To Assume Presidential Authority

President Bush will undergo a medical procedure tomorrow that will require him to temporarily transfer his presidential authority to Vice President Dick Cheney.

White House press secretary Tony Snow delivered the news at his noon press briefing that Bush was having a colonoscopy. The procedure, which involves a snake-like probe of the large bowel through the rectum, requires sedation and can last up to an hour. Regular colonoscopies to check for signs of colon cancer are recommended for men and women over age 50 every five years.

Snow said that Bush, who just turned 61, would have the colonoscopy tomorrow but wouldn't specify the time. Cheney will have "full capability to respond" to any crisis from his beach house on the Eastern Shore, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President pro tempore Robert Byrd, second and third in line to the presidency respectively, had been notified earlier in the day.

Snow is currently undergoing treatment for colon cancer. He said he was doing "fine," and has three more chemotherapy sessions to go in this round of treatment.

Posted at 12:14 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Dick Cheney, Health, President Bush, Tony Snow
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