All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

One of the things former Vice President Dick Cheney will be remembered for his having been spirited off to an "undisclosed location" following the Sept. 11 attacks. And now we know where that location may be.

As Eleanor Clift of Newsweek writes, Vice President Joe Biden talked about the possible spot earlier this year during the Gridiron Club dinner, an exclusive annual event for Washington journalists and bureau chiefs.

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If the unthinkable happens on Inauguration Day, Robert Gates, the defense secretary, will be available to assume the reins of government.

"In order to ensure continuity of government, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been designated by the outgoing Administration, with the concurrence of the incoming Administration, to serve as the designated successor during Inauguration Day, Tuesday, January 20th," White House press Secretary Dana Perino said.

According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, if the president is unable to fulfill his duties, the Vice President succeeds him, followed by the Speaker of the House, the President pro tempore of the Senate (traditionally the senior member of the majority party), The Secretary of the Treasury, and then the Secretary of Defense. (The succession order continues from there – You can see the full list here.)

Perino said that Gates will be at a secure, undisclosed location on Inauguration Day, according to CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller. Most of the others on the succession list, by contrast, will be participating in the inauguration festivities.

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