For a couple of hours, before any readers get too excited. He transferred power to Dick Cheney for a period of two hours, when George W. Bush was checked for cancer of the colon. It was previously discovered that he had 5 polyps during a routine colonoscopy. Initial comments were made that it is not though likely the growths were cancerous, though obviously they will be tested.
Unlike after the attempted assassination of Reagan, the 25th amendment was used. It basically states that if the President is incapacitated there can be a temporary transfer of presidential powers to the vice president. This means that key decisions, if there is an urgent requirement to make them, is made by an elected official – when Reagan was doped up to the eyeballs on medication, a team of ‘advisers’ took it upon themselves to basically run the nation, with Reagan simply told to sign his name to anything presented to him.
Jul 21 2007