Despite Bush's protestations, his running mate may have let slip that the political season has officially arrived. "The campaign season will come in due course," Cheney said Sept. 5 in Alabama.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 23 — Bush-Cheney '04 officials said Monday would mark a new period of engagement from the campaign and the president, and at the end of the day it was clear that any plans ...

If Cheney were to die in office or become incapacitated, Bush would have the right to nominate a new vice president, in accordance with the 25th Amendment, which went into effect in February 1967.