March 27, 2009 3:32 PM

Bush's Colon Is Cancer-Free

(CBS/AP)  Doctors found no cancer in the five small growths removed from President Bush's colon, the White House said Monday.

The growths, called polyps, were found during a routine cancer scan that Mr. Bush underwent Saturday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. Examinations showed the growths were benign — in line with the White House's expectation that none of the five polyps appeared "worrisome."

"The president is in good health," Bush spokesman Tony Snow said. "There is no reason for alarm."

Doctors discovered that Mr. Bush had two polyps during a similar scan in 1998, and two more were found during a colon screening in 1999, while Mr. Bush was governor of Texas. That made the 61-year-old president a prime candidate for regular examinations. The screening done in 2002 revealed no polyps or abnormalities.

Mr. Bush's next cancer scan will be in three years, his press secretary added, saying that is the typical interval between exams given the amount of growths found this time.

Polyps are extra pieces of tissues that grow inside the large intestine. Most polyps are not dangerous, but over time, they can turn cancerous. To be safe, doctors typically remove the polyps and test them. Finding them early is considered one of the best ways of preventing disease.

Mr. Bush regularly exercises and is considered to be in excellent shape for a man his age.

During the colonoscopy, Mr. Bush temporarily transferred the powers of his office to Vice President Dick Cheney under the rarely invoked 25th Amendment.

Mr. Bush invoked the presidential disability clause of the Constitution at 7:16 a.m. EDT. He transferred his authority to Cheney, who was at his home on the Chesapeake Bay in St. Michaels, Md., about 45 miles east of Washington.

Nothing occurred during the 2 hours and 5 minutes of the transfer that required Cheney to take official action.

The amendment, approved in 1967, four years after President Kennedy was assassinated, provides for the temporary or permanent transfer of presidential power in case the president is unable to fulfill the duties of the office.

It had been used only twice before.

In July 1985, President Reagan had colon cancer surgery and turned over power to his vice president, George H.W. Bush. During the president's colorectal screening on July 29, 2002, Bush relinquished powers to Cheney for more than two hours.

This transfer of power took place with letters Bush faxed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., president pro tempore of the Senate. Bush reclaimed his authority at 9:21 a.m. EDT with follow-up letters to both lawmakers.

"This letter shall constitute my written declaration that I am presently able to resume the discharge of the Constitutional powers and duties of the office of the president of the United States," Bush's one-paragraph letter said.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
  • Scott Conroy

    Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.

Add a Comment See all 42 Comments
by July 24, 2007 11:51 PM EDT
Bush's surgeon just called - they found 5 polyps, 4 condoms containing cocaine (from his early days) and one religious a$$hole hypocrite called singinrick.
Reply to this comment
by July 24, 2007 11:38 PM EDT
singinrick wrote:

"Christ is Lord, not you, me, or anyone else. Jesus Christ is Lord.

If you have a problem with what our God says, you'll have to take it up with Him, in your own personal time, not me. Your hatred is unnecessary however and uncalled for."

Really? Then why do you constantly preach to people, and why do you openly condemn homosexuals etc?

Are you the one who is supposed to judge them?

No - that is not your responsibility and the bible makes that clear.

Why do you choose to follow certain scripture but not others singinrick?

Is it because you're a hypocrite?
Reply to this comment
by July 24, 2007 11:34 PM EDT
singinrick wrote:

"When have I said I hate Muslims mcdazz? What I do hate is evil. Radical islam is evil and if you can't see the murderous atrocities being committed by this movement every single day on the news I don't know what to tell you. The so-called "propoganda" you are accusing me of posting is the same thing all of us Americans had to watch in horror when journalist Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered by islamic jihadists. It's not propoganda mcdazz, it happened, and it's because of evil radical islamic militants that it did."

Had to watch? You didn't have to watch anything singinrick, but instead you posted a link to a hate website in a forum that is accessible by kids.

The website you posted to didn't - from memory - differentiate between extremist muslims and ordinary muslims.

It was a hate site directed at Muslims and you supported that website.

And that fact that you posted a link to a site that features the beheading of someone, and that you posted it in a forum that is accessible by children, highlights your lack of responsibility regarding these matters.

Do you post links to websites that feature video footage of people killed by other Americans, singinrick?

No, and people face more a danger of being killed by their neighbor or a drunk driver then by an "extremist muslim".
Reply to this comment
by randalds July 24, 2007 10:59 PM EDT
Please singinrick show us your mercy ... just f*uk off ...
Posted by phil-in-Fin at 03:45 AM : Jul 24, 2007

No such luck I'm afraid. Like any other kind of vermin no matter what you do you can never really get rid of them completely.
Reply to this comment
by phil-in-fin July 24, 2007 7:04 AM EDT
singinrick said,

"Millions of Muslims are coming to know Jesus as their personal savior every year."

Funny! As there are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, all of them will be Christians in about five years time according to you.

"When people find Jesus, He makes all things new. I've seen it happen in my life, and you can see it happen too if you believe in Him."

From Benny Hinn:

Study Links Religious Freedom, Economic Well-being
"God has a plan to prosper you and bring you a future and a hope. In order to see His plan unfold in your life, you need to know about the two most important enemies of receiving. These are the most common things that keep people from receiving God's blessings. If you can recognize them and overcome them, you'll be able to receive blessings in your finances, your family, and also your physical body."

The message, believe in Jesus and get rich ...

Sick ...
Reply to this comment
by phil-in-fin July 24, 2007 6:45 AM EDT
"Bush's Colon Is Cancer-Free"

Oh! I am so happy for him!

I was sitting-up all night, anxiously reading my Bible, praying that the Lord our God singinrick would grant mercy on G. W. Bush ...

As singinrick passes judgement on all that offend Him, let us pray that singinrick, our jealous God, will show us mercy ...

Please singinrick show us your mercy ... just f*uk off ...
Reply to this comment
by snixchance July 24, 2007 4:47 AM EDT
Too bad the *** was not riddled with cancer; that would be too easy a death for him. Better yet, send him over to fight his useless war; maybe that will finally be the end of him. I pray that he ends up dying of a disease that could have been cured by stem cell research - wouldn't that be a kicker! No tears here!
Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 July 24, 2007 4:41 AM EDT
It's already proven that it's terminal. To our soldiers and not him sure, but still....
Posted by RandalDS

Agreed Randall, but the only surgeons legally capable of the excision necessary for its' removal refuse to scrub up for the operation, perhaps because the patient plagued with this cancer (us) has no medical insurance coverage...
Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 July 24, 2007 4:37 AM EDT
Freedom?
Posted by mcdazz

Yeah, you know, its that "pie in the sky by and by" freedom that requires you to first accept and submit to slavery here, like a good little Roman and Greek servant, in hope that you will enjoy the freedom that will come after you're dead.
Reply to this comment
by randalds July 24, 2007 4:20 AM EDT
"President's Colon is Cancer Free"

Yeah, but didn't they do a biopsy on that giant tumor between his ears? It sure looks malignant to me. It's already proven that it's terminal. To our soldiers and not him sure, but still....
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