Washington — Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering from a “mild heart attack” — his latest bout in a long battle against heart disease.
Cheney was feeling fine Tuesday and likely to be sent home from a Washington hospital within a day or two, aides said. He experienced chest pain Monday, and lab results revealed evidence of the heart attack, spokesman Peter Long said.
“The whole family has been working with heart disease for decades, and they are vigilant and attuned to treatment,” said political consultant Mary Matalin, a friend and former counselor to Cheney.
She added that Cheney, now 69, “knows how to live with this disease” and is fortunate to have great doctors.
The news came just more than a week after Cheney and Vice President Joe Biden dueled across different Sunday television talk shows, bickering over national security, credit for success in Iraq and Iran’s nuclear program. Even more recently, Cheney made a surprise appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, delighting the partisan crowd with statements like, “I think Barack Obama is a one-term president.”
Biden called Cheney on Tuesday to wish him well, as did Cheney’s old boss, former President George W. Bush.
The heart attack is Cheney’s fifth since age 37.
After being admitted to George Washington University Hospital, Cheney underwent a stress test and a heart catheterization, according to a statement from his office. The statement did not say whether an angioplasty — a procedure to clear a blockage — was performed.
Matalin said Cheney was feeling fine. She said Cheney watched the Olympics on Monday night and had lunch with his family on Tuesday.
Comments
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grammaddy (anonymous) says…
...Cheney's 5th since age 37." The man must have 9 lives. Or terrific health insurance. I want the coverage he has.
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
5 heart attacks?
I bet if he were to debate with bill clinton it would be six.
Boosh (anonymous) says…
^^^nonsense
georgiahawk (anonymous) says…
Evidently Dick has pull with the devil, the devil keeps calling him and Dick keeps working out deals with him. No doubt his deals have been good for Dick and his ilk, just not good for the USA!
somedude20 (anonymous) says…
No Tom, your Dick and Bush ARE evil. Be afraid be very afraid. Dick's problem is that his heart is two sizes too small
DillonBarnes (anonymous) says…
No! You are!
Noo! You are!
SLOPOKE (anonymous) says…
I t does'nt really matter how many, or if he lives or dies from one of them... The peoples right's (Paitrot Act) that him and Georgie Boy took will never be the same. Stop and think about what they did , without even asking congress, or the people.......
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
I want to thank Cheney for his support of gay marriage and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Only a true conservative would see that government has no role in the private lives of it's citizens.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
The (Patriot) Act was passed by wide margins in both houses of Congress and was supported by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
from wikipedia
Congress writes law, the president doesn't.
Speaking of "the people", where have all the war protests gone? I miss getting the chance to flip off our local hippies.
gatekeeper (anonymous) says…
I need some of the drugs Tom is on. He must have some of the best sh*t available to be able to think Cheney is a true patriot. Is it a mix of valum and prozac, lots of weed, heroin? Probably LSD to create the halucinations Tom is having. Even the conservatives I'm friends with think Cheney is evil and was bad for the country.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"Liberty275 (anonymous) says...
The (Patriot) Act was passed by wide margins in both houses of Congress and was supported by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties..."
True, but that doesn't make it good law. It was passed because of the fear spawnd by 9/11, which was a byproduct of Bush and Cheney dropping the ball on terrorism. It's too bad that Bush was more concerned with saving stem cells, and Cheney was more concerned with enriching the oil companies, to act on the available intelligence.
LoveThsLife (anonymous) says…
I hope recovers. However, he was a large part of what was wrong with the Bush Administration. Maybe his recovery will keep him out of the conservative spotlight for a while.
georgiahawk (anonymous) says…
Cheney not evil? So, any conservative, no matter how evil and how much damage he has done is not evil because he is conservative? It's all logical now, I now see the logic of conservatives arguments. The devil is conservative which makes sense because Jesus is a socialist!
number1jayhawker (anonymous) says…
Typical libs. They just can't pass up the opportunity to vent their hatred towards anyone that thinks differently then them.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"number1jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Typical libs. They just can't pass up the opportunity to vent their hatred towards anyone that thinks differently then them."
Pot, meet kettle.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says...
... You've been a true American Patriot who has helped keep Americans safe for decades."
Yes, his five deferments during Vietnam were key to keeping America safe.
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
Tom Shewmon...your wrong the true patriots are the wones in uniform doing your fighting overseas
get your stories straight..what branch of service were u in?
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says...
So Cheney is evil? Obama, Emanuel, Axelroid, Holder, Jarrett, Reid and Pelosi are demonically possessed."
Yes, because it is a lot easier to hate on people once you've deemed them evil. Like Hitler with the Jews. Wow!
Hitler was evil. Stalin evil. American politicians, disagreeable sure, but not evil.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
"True, but that doesn't make it good law."
It's no worse than hate crimes laws that in effect turn bigotry into a criminal offense. But you are right. It's not a good law.
"which was a byproduct of Bush and Cheney dropping the ball on terrorism"
To be fair, you should also say that Clinton dropped the ball on terrorism lots of times and obama dropped it at least twice, once with roeder and again with the airplane IRS bomber. Hindsight is usually 20/20. Ask carter about dropping the ball regarding Iran.
"act on the available intelligence."
You mean like obama failed to act on the mountains of intelligence regarding the crotch bomber? Even that guys dad told us he was a jihadist and obama still dropped the ball and let him on a plane destined for America.
Also, Cheney is just a hawk. That doesn't by any stretch of the imagination make him evil. Stalin, Castro, Guevara, Pot and Mao were evil. Millions of their own citizens would agree, except they are dead because they didn't want to go with the socialist program.
Cheney is nicer than your mother compared to Comrade Mugabi.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says...
I'm glad to see you don't think Cheney is evil."
That's right, I never called Cheney evil. And neither is President Obama, Harry Reid, etc.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
"Healthcare_Moocher (anonymous) says...
...Lets see, Clinton, not only avoided serving, ...blah, blah, blah."
Typical rightwing playbook; Blame a Clinton!
At least Clinton had the sack to register for the draft. Neither Bush or Cheney can say that. Bush hid in the TANG, and Cheny had his FIVE deferments.
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says…
Liberty275 (anonymous) says...
"...which was a byproduct of Bush and Cheney dropping the ball on terrorism"
To be fair, you should also say that Clinton dropped..."
Blame a Clinton!
Spin all you want, but nobody had it laid out for him like Bush had.
"Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US, President's Daily Brief, August 6, 2001."
anon1958 (anonymous) says…
Cheney having a serious heart attack now is too damn little and way too late.
ivalueamerica (anonymous) says…
I consider dick chaney not only one of the worst, but also the most evil vice presidents in American history.
However, I wish a heart attack on no one and I wish him a speedy and full recovery.
Made_in_China (Paul R. Getto) says…
I have mixed emotions about this situation. Cheney is not one of my favorites, and he helped W with much of the foolhardy destruction the last administration wrought. On the other hand, I'd hate to see him pass on during an election season. His Caesar-like funeral would be used to further the causes he promoted. RIP, sir, but not too quickly.
remember_username (anonymous) says…
I believe if I sat down with Vice President Chaney he and I would disagree on nearly everything (except perhaps hunter safety). Sure I'm a liberal but I always try to consider that those politicians who disagree with me most often do so because they sincerely believe what they do is best for everybody. At least they're doing something, instead of pointing fingers. What appears to be more frequent is that more and more people disagree out of blind hatred and inflexibility, start pointing fingers, and assume voting removes any other responsibility for the way things are. That is irrational and ignorant. That is real evil.
zstoltenberg (anonymous) says…
This is news???
mancityfooty (Corey Williams) says…
Ha Ha
Save me a seat in heck, Cheney!
thebcman (anonymous) says…
Lets see, Clinton, not only avoided serving, he protested against his own government in a foreign land. We have a name for that.
===============
Yup, Smart.
scott3460 (anonymous) says…
"He, like Palin, are not in any elected office"
If only he were a quitter like the Queen of the Teabagers.
compmd (anonymous) says…
I heard the first thing he said after recovering from this heart attack was "if you only knew the power of the dark side!"
deathpenaltyliberal (anonymous) says...
"Hitler was evil. Stalin evil. American politicians, disagreeable sure, but not evil."
I got one for you that I thought of in two seconds: Sheriff Joe Arpaio. That steaming pile of biosolids is evil. From WP:
"Joe Arpaio's practices have been criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee,and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. The editorial board of The New York Times called Arpaio "America's Worst Sheriff"."
beatrice (anonymous) says…
Cheney has a "mild" heart attack.
Is it wrong of me to think, "well, isn't that a shame."?
beatrice (anonymous) says…
Just kidding, by the way.