Former Vice President Dick Cheney hospitalized
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/22/art.cheneycpac0222.gi.jpg caption="Former Vice President Cheney has a long history of heart problems."]
Washington (CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized Monday with chest pains, according to his office.
Cheney, 69, is resting comfortably at George Washington University Hospital and his doctors are evaluating the situation, his staff said in a statement.
A family source told CNN that Cheney will be kept in the hospital overnight for observation and additional tests.
Cheney has a long history of heart problems. He has suffered four heart attacks dating to 1978, when he was 37. He suffered his second in 1984 and a third in 1988 before undergoing quadruple bypass surgery to unblock his arteries. His fourth heart attack occurred in November 2000, after he was elected vice president. At that time, doctors inserted a stent to open an artery.
Doctors in 2001 implanted a heart monitoring device to keep track of his heart rhythm and slow it down if necessary. In 2008, he underwent a procedure to restore his heart to a normal rhythm after doctors found he was experiencing a recurrence of atrial fibrillation.
Cheney served under former President George W. Bush from 2001-2009. He has been a vocal critic of the current administration since he left office, most recently appearing on ABC's "This Week" where he railed against President Barack Obama's policies on terror and the Iraq war.
He has accused the Obama administration of failing to treat the fight against terrorists as war, citing the decision to give accused 9/11-mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed a civilian trial, giving the failed Christmas Day airline bomber the privileges of the U.S. criminal justice system, and the decision to shut down the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Cheney also served in the administrations of former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.
Updated: 8:46 p.m.
- CNN's John King contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
- Florida House passes bill extending ban on sexual orientation and gender identity instruction to 8th grade
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- US Army identifies nine soldiers killed in Black Hawk training accident
- Donald Trump Fast Facts
- Florida legislature passes bill allowing carry of concealed weapons without a permit
- Untitled
Get well soon Mr. Cheney.
Coming from a democrat there are times politics should be put aside...Vice President Cheney my prayers are with you
Get well soon!
I don't agree with anything he stands for but may God bless him with a quick recovery. I do believe he loves this country.
Our prayers are with you Mr. Cheney / Great American
God Bless the former Vice President.
ALL of OUR prayers are with him and his family.
As much as I can't stand him and what he does to our Country, I wish him a fast recovery and a faster real retirement.
Mr. Vice President Cheney, we wish you a speedy recovery. Get well soon. We stand behind you and need your support in this country. Your voice does matter in the USA.
I don't agree with his politics on any level, but he is a husband, father, and grandfather, and I hope he's ok. Heart disease is a scary one.
I personally wish Cheney well. I feel the former vice president should spend more time taking care of his health instead of being politically active. There is a time for everything. The country needs people like Cheney even if he is sometime very contrversial. Cheney has a long history of public service and I feel any president democrat or republican will benefit from his advice. Health is wealth.
I hope that Former Vice President Cheney feels much better soon.
He is a great American patriot.