Bush must decide on load Cheney can handle

Given the advances made recently in the treatment of coronary disease, the quality of medical treatment available and his own determination, there is little doubt that Vice President Dick Cheney will be fully back at his duties in a few days.

Still, this latest episode in which Cheney entered the hospital as a "precautionary" step after experiencing chest pains is troubling.

Cheney has already demonstrated that he will play a major role in the Bush administration as a trouble-shooter, senior adviser on military and security matters and as a liaison to Congress. These are demanding duties far and above what a vice president is constitutionally or even traditionally expected to handle.

In many ways, Cheney has emerged as a "key man" in the administration, similar to the nearly irreplaceable individuals who are often identified in private industry. In that role, his medical condition and vigor are of more than routine interest.

Once Cheney is fully back at the job, he and President Bush must sit down and work out what is a reasonable burden for a man with his medical history to carry.

[back to top]