Cheney will have power while Bush under sedation

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said he will briefly transfer the powers of the presidency to Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday while under sedation for a colon screening.

For only the second time, the 25th Amendment of the Constitution will be invoked and Cheney will be acting president for "a matter of hours," White House counsel Al Gonzales said after the surprise announcement.

Bush, who turns 56 next week, said doctors recommended the procedure -- a colonoscopy -- because benign polyps were found in two previous checks. It is considered a standard preventive procedure for men his age.

The president said there were "no signs, no symptoms" of trouble and he expected to exercise in the afternoon after the check. The procedure will be conducted at the Camp David presidential retreat.

"I feel great," Bush said before leaving the White House for the weekend. "This is part of the annual physical so I just decided to do it at this time. It fit in with my schedule."

Bush said he decided to transfer powers to Cheney out of extra caution because the nation is at war.

Preventive medicine

White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb said Bush underwent the same procedure in July 1998 and December 1999; both times two polyps were found.

The procedure usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, Tubb said.

"This is preventive medicine at its finest," the doctor said. "If you're over 50 you ought to make it part of your practice as well."

Gonzales said Section 3 of the 25th Amendment -- enacted in 1967, four years after President Kennedy's assassination -- will be invoked by Bush in a letter faxed to congressional leaders and signed by the president.

The only other time Section 3 was invoked was July 13, 1985, when President Reagan underwent surgery for colon cancer.