"Cheney's Focus May Change in 2nd Term"

WASHINGTON (AP) - Like the man behind the curtain working the levers in the "Wizard of Oz," Dick Cheney has been called the real power in President Bush's administration, perhaps the strongest vice president in U.S. history.

But as Bush enters his second term, Cheney's role is in flux. His chief task in Bush's first administration - mentoring a novice president with little foreign policy or legislative experience - has been accomplished. He remains dogged by heart disease and an FBI probe of a subsidiary of Halliburton, the company he once ran.

Indeed, some wonder whether Cheney, with no ambition to succeed his boss in the White House, will serve out his second term. And while he has redefined a job that traditionally involved attending ceremonial and campaign events or undertaking thankless policy assignments, there is speculation Cheney's influence is waning.

"He was so influential that it was almost insulting to call him a vice president," said Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University. "He was a mentor, chair of the kitchen Cabinet, legitimizer, Rasputin - you name it - all rolled into one. Those roles have been chipped away over time."

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050110/D87HBM100.html

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Save this nation one town, county, and state at a time!
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