Bush resumes presidential power

In January Bush fainted after choking on a pretzel

US President George W Bush has resumed power after undergoing a minor medical procedure during which he was sedated.

Vice-President Dick Cheney stood in as acting president for just over two hours on Saturday morning.

No polyps were found and no evidence of any abnormalities was discovered

Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman

The White House says Mr Bush is "feeling great" after the operation, a routine colon test.

Before the operation, the 55-year-old president stressed that he had experienced no signs or symptoms of illness, but that the last time he had a colonoscopy a few years ago, a number of benign polyps had been discovered, so he had been advised to undergo a further routine examination.

"No polyps were found and no evidence of any abnormalities was discovered," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said of Saturday's operation.

Transfer of power

At 7:09 AM Eastern Daily Time, Mr Bush invoked the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The president works out every day to keep fit

Mr Bush resumed the powers of the presidency at 9:24 AM.

The US constitution requires a transfer of power to the vice-president in the event the president is incapacitated.

The last time it happened was in 1985, when the then President, Ronald Reagan, underwent colon surgery and George Bush senior briefly assumed the powers of the presidency.

Fighting fit

The BBC's Washington correspondent, Rob Watson, said that Mr Bush prides himself on being one of the fittest men ever to occupy the White House.

He runs five kilometres (three miles) a day and works out in the gym each morning.

According to records released by Mr Bush's presidential campaign, two benign polyps were surgically removed from his colon in July 1998.

A colonoscopy is considered the best way to examine the colon and to find and remove polyps.

The procedure, performed regularly, is thought to reduce the risk of colon cancer by up to 90%. More than two million are performed annually in the US.