The Next Rat Off the Sinking Ship?

Cheney Found to Have Irregular Heartbeat

ABC News' Jennifer Duck Reports: After a doctor's visit this morning to check up on a lingering cough from a cold, Vice President Dick Cheney was found to have an irregular heartbeat.

"During examination he was incidentally found to have an irregular heartbeat, which on further testing was determined to be atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart," said Cheney spokesperson Megan Mitchell in a statement released this afternoon.

The Vice President will visit George Washington University Hospital for "further evaluation and, if indicated, cardioversion, delivery of an electric impulse to the heart, which is a standard treatment for atrial fibrillation."

The visit is expected to be an outpatient procedure; Cheney is expected home on Monday night. His spokesperson said this is the first incidence of atrial fibrillation since the device was installed.

In July, Cheney had minor surgery to replace the battery that powers his heart pacemaker.

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Hmmm... maybe he should go have a little rest and recreation break. Maybe he should go hunting. With Bush.

Seriously, this may be Dick's free pass off the Titanic, his Do-Not-Go-To-Jail Card.