Dick Cheney's heart sends him to hospital

Vice President Dick Cheney did not make it to a $500-a-plate fundraising luncheon in Homer Glen, Ill., today because of an abnormal heartbeat.

Instead he visited George Washington University Hospital so doctors could "restore his normal rhythm" for the second time this year.

"An electrical impulse was delivered to restore the heart to normal rhythm," said spokeswoman Megan Mitchell. "The procedure went smoothly and without complication."

Now, Mitchell added, Cheney is home and resuming his normal schedule.

Earlier in the day, she described what happened to spark the incident this way:

During a visit with his doctors this morning, it was discovered that the vice president is experiencing a recurrence of atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart. Later this afternoon, the vice president will visit George Washington University Hospital for an outpatient procedure to restore his normal rhythm.

Cheney, 67, had his first heart attack when he was 37 years old. The former Wyoming congressman, White House chief of staff and Pentagon secretary has had three attacks since, along with quadruple bypass surgery, two artery-clearing angioplasties and the implantation of a pacemaker.

Andy Seré, spokesman for 11th Congressional district Republican candidate Marty Ozinga, told the Associated Press that he was not sure if the luncheon would go on without Cheney or be rescheduled.

Ozinga is in a tight race with Democrat Debbie Halverson, an Illinois state senator whose campaign had pounced on Cheney's planned visit as an example of Ozinga being out of touch with the district's residents.

President Bush, after a meeting with business leaders in Grand Rapids, Mich., said Cheney attended the morning briefings and was confident of success.

"The vice president’s going to be fine. I talked to him this morning,” Bush said. "He was confident, the doctors are confident, therefore I’m confident.”

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: Lawrence Jackson / Associated Press

White House goes pink for breast cancer awareness

The White House went pink tonight, part of worldwide campaign at more than 200 landmarks around the globe this month to commemorate breast cancer awareness.

During a ceremony at the White House, First Lady Laura Bush flipped a switch and suddenly a building that has been white ever since John and Abigail Adams took up residence there in 1800 was suddenly pink. She said:

We're showing our support of breast cancer awareness and research in a historic way. In recognition of the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives who struggle with this disease, we're lighting the White House in pink, which is the color of the cause. May our lights tonight shine as beacons around the world, a signal of the United States' commitment to saving lives for breast cancer.

Check it out:

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press