Former vice president Dick Cheney hospitalized for weekend; heart trouble possible
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 file photo, former Vice President Dick Cheney speaks at the Center For Security Policy dinner at Union Station in Washington. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was admitted to the hospital Friday, June 25, 2010 after experiencing discomfort, the latest health scare for the 69-year-old Republican leader who has a long history of heart disease. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)
(Harry Hamburg - AP)
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
Former vice president Richard B. Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital on Friday after complaining of being uncomfortable, raising the possibility of further heart trouble.
Cheney, 69, has a history of heart attacks dating before the 2000 election. In February, he suffered a mild heart attack, his fifth, and had a heart valve catheterized.
Spokesman Peter Long said Cheney was expected to remain at the hospital for the weekend.
"Former Vice President Cheney was not feeling well and was seen this afternoon by his doctors in their offices at George Washington University," Long said in a statement. "On the advice of his physicians, he was admitted to the hospital for further testing. He is expected to remain in the hospital over the weekend."
The statement did not make clear if Cheney had another heart attack or if the current incident was related to heart trouble he had earlier this year.
Cheney has battled heart problems since age 37, the time of his first heart attack. But it rarely seemed to restrain his drive or intensity in office. That pace has continued since he left the White House, with Cheney often taking a lead role in the public critiques of President Obama.
The former vice president has offered lengthy and biting criticisms of Obama's foreign policy, accusing him of being soft on terrorists and of failing to properly secure the country.
