Is This a Joke?

July 20 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush will undergo a “routine” colonoscopy tomorrow, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

Bush will cede presidential powers temporarily to Vice President Dick Cheney while “under the effects of anesthesia” during the procedure at Camp David, Snow said. Bush’s last colonoscopy was on June 29, 2002, when the transfer of power lasted 2 1/2 hours, Snow told reporters at a White House briefing today.

Bush, who turned 61 on July 6, was pronounced fit by doctors last Aug. 1 after his yearly checkup at the National Naval Medical Center in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.

“The president has had no symptoms” of cancer, said Snow, adding that doctors recommended an exam every five years. The procedure will be supervised by his personal physician, Dr. Richard Tubb, with a team of doctors from the Bethesda Medical Center.

Bush will invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, making the vice president acting president until the effects of sedation wear off, Snow said. Cheney will be at his home on the Eastern Shore.

The amount of time Cheney will be acting president will be determined by the findings of the exam, but it was expected to be similar to that in 2002, Snow said.

“The president had polyps discovered and removed during routine screening exams prior to his becoming president,” Snow said. “Although no polyps were noted in the exam in 2002, age and history would suggest that there’s a reasonable chance that polyps will be noted this time. If so, they’ll be removed and evaluated microscopically,” Snow said. The results will be available in 48 to 72 hours, perhaps sooner, he said.

The president was scheduled to leave the White House for Camp David later today.