Heart Pump Restores Cheney's Routine

Take cover! Dick Cheney is hunting again. After retreating from the Washington fray after getting a new heart pump in July, former vice president Dick Cheney is resuming something of his normal routine: hunting, socializing, and headlining events for Republican politicians. His doctors say the new heart pump, which assists his weak heart by pushing blood through his arteries, has saved Cheney's life. But the famously decisive former VP faces one more hard decision: whether or not to pursue a full heart transplant. Heart pumps are usually used as a last resort or as a temporary solution ahead of a heart transplant. Cheney is almost too old to qualify for a transplant, so he has only a few months to decide.