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JOHNSTOWN, Pa., Feb. 23 — As Democratic Congressional leaders escalate their challenge to the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq, one of the most influential players will be that unlikely darling of the antiwar left, Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania. Mr. Murtha’s power comes not just from his role as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, in charge of the huge spending bill for the war that will advance in the House in March. It also derives from his close alliance with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and from his popularity, ever since he called for an end to the war in...

ABOUT 350 anti-Iraq war protesters last night formed a hostile welcome committee for US Vice-President Dick Cheney, clashing with police outside Sydney's Town Hall as they ignored calls for peaceful protests. Mounted police officers and members of the riot squad scuffled with protesters in scenes reminiscent of violent anti-globalisation protests at the G20 summit in Melbourne last year. The crowd, led by members of the Stop The War Coalition, marched down George Street - one of Sydney's main streets - without permission from police, who cited traffic concerns for the decision. The clashes occurred when protesters attempted to break through...

Wouldn't you know, but the critics of the Bush administration were right. A Richard was indeed at the heart of the Valerie Plame episode. Only, it wasn't Richard Cheney. Instead, we now know it was Richard Armitage, Secretary of State Powell's right-hand man until they both left Foggy Bottom early in Mr. Bush's second term. The disclosure, which came after Mr. Armitage's official calendar from 2003 was released to the Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, answers one big question that has spurred incessant speculation since 2003. The news raises plenty of other questions, however....

BaghdadOn a cool December morning, Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad waited for their distinguished guests on the sidewalk outside of the ambassador's residence in the heart of the fortified Green Zone in downtown Baghdad. Moments passed, but no one came. As Khalilzad chattered in Cheney's ear, the vice president stood looking at the cloudless blue sky with his hands clasped behind his back, sporadically shuffling his right foot back and forth. They waited some more. An eager press corps-with cameras and microphones, pens and pads at the ready--waited to capture the handshake between Cheney...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CNN apologized on Tuesday and offered a rare explanation from its control booth for a technical glitch many viewers failed to notice -- a large "X" the network flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face. The wayward graphic, which CNN said lasted for about one-seventh of a second, appeared during the network's live coverage of Cheney's speech on Monday addressing critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq. Word of the snafu quickly surfaced on the Internet, including still photos of the image posted by online columnist Matt Drudge, along with a story...

You have to wonder sometimes why Presidents even run for re-election, given how things usually turn out. Second terms have a way of veering into wild and menacing terrain, spiked with indictments and scandals and betrayal and grief. Some friends become less friendly because they know you are on your way to retirement while they are on their way to the next campaign. Your team gets tired, the ideas stale, and the fumes of power more toxic. It was through those badlands that President George W. Bush trudged last week, and for once he was walking alone. "The problem is...

New York – Don’t call her the Second Lady. The Vice President’s wife keeps a high profile of her own, as an author of books on U.S. history. Her latest, A Time for Freedom, is a timeline of American history. She sat down with TIME White House correspondent Matthew Cooper at the vice-presidential mansion to discuss her newest work, her husband’s health and why she likes Geena Davis. Asked about Bob Woodward saying that the Vice President would be the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, she says that’s “Wrong, but interesting.” She said she’s watched Commander in Chief starring Geena...

NEW YORK -- Vice President Dick Cheney's feud with Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel was perpetuated Wednesday when the 75-year-old congressman said Cheney "ought to be ashamed of himself" for a remark about his age. Months of verbal attacks from Rangel turned into a back and forth on Monday when the 64-year-old vice president said Rangel is "losing it," later adding that "Charlie is a lot older than I am, and it shows." After an appearance at City Hall on Wednesday, Rangel was asked when the dispute would die. "I think it ends when he apologizes for attacking me as a...

Vice President Dick Cheney contended Monday that Rep. Charles Rangel, the dean of New York's congressional delegation, is "losing it" _ striking back after months of verbal attacks from the Harlem lawmaker. Rangel had criticized Cheney in recent interviews, saying the vice president, who has a history of heart trouble, might be too sick to perform his job. "I would like to believe he's sick rather than just mean and evil," Rangel said last Friday on NY1, the New York City-based all-news channel. In an interview with nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh, the 64-year-old Cheney suggested it was the...

NEW YORK (AP) _ For the second time in recent months, the dean of New York's congressional delegation has questioned whether Vice President Dick Cheney is fit for the duties of his office. In an interview in August on NY1, the New York City-based all-news channel, Rep. Charles Rangel suggested that Cheney might be too sick to perform his job. On Friday evening, Rangel was asked in a follow-up talk on the station if he thought Cheney should step down. "He should never have stepped up in the first place," Rangel said. "He's too old for the job and doesn't...

In the summer of 2000, Dick Cheney was appointed to find a vice presidential candidate for George W. Bush, and, as we now know, the winner of the search turned out to be Dick Cheney. Today, Republicans are casting about for a successor to Bush. And the winner of that search just may turn out to be ... Dick Cheney. The Draft Cheney movement is burbling just below the surface. Fred Barnes suggested it earlier this month in the Weekly Standard. Tod Lindberg of the Washington Times and Lawrence Kudlow of National Review Online echoed Barnes in columns this week....

Statement by Secretary James A. Baker, III, Bush-Cheney '04 Debate Negotiations Team Leader and Vernon Jordan, Jr. (title edited for length)  NEW YORK - Secretary James A. Baker, III, Bush-Cheney '04 Debate Negotiations Team Leader and Vernon Jordan, Jr. today issued the following statement:"We are pleased to announce today that President Bush and Senator Kerry will participate in three debates.  The first debate is on Thursday, September 30 at the University of Miami, in Coral Gables, Florida, the second is on October 8 in St. Louis, Missouri at Washington University, and the third at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona...

It's the interview everyone will be talking about! Neil Cavuto sits down with the vice president on "Your World" Friday at 4pm and 1am ET. Plus, see more of the special interview on "Cavuto on Business" Saturday at 10:30am ET. At left, Neil gives FOX Fans the inside scoop on what he'll discuss with Cheney.

WHAT DICK CHENEY REALLY BELIEVES. The Radical by Franklin Foer & Spencer Ackerman Post date 11.20.03 | Issue date 12.01.03 In early 2002, Vice President Dick Cheney spoke to President George W. Bush from the heart. The war in Afghanistan had been an astonishing display of U.S. strength. Instead of the bloody quagmire many predicted, CIA paramilitary agents, Special Forces, and U.S. air power had teamed with Northern Alliance guerrillas to run the Taliban and Al Qaeda out of their strongholds. As a new interim government took power in Kabul, Cheney was telling Bush that the next phase in the...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 1996 promotional videotape has surfaced that features Dick Cheney praising Arthur Andersen LLP for going above and beyond routine audits for the company he ran for five years.</p> <p>The oil services firm the vice president once headed, Halliburton Co., is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for the way it accounted for cost overruns on construction jobs during Cheney's tenure. Cheney and the company were sued on Tuesday by a watchdog group alleging fraudulent accounting practices, a suit the White House dismissed as lacking merit.</p>