Cheney sworn in as US VP for second term

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (AFP) - US Vice President Dick Cheney was sworn in Thursday for a second four-year term in a ceremony on the steps of the US Capitol ahead of President George W. Bush's inauguration.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert administered the oath of office to Cheney, a principal architect of the war in Iraq and a Bush foreign policy mentor.
The ceremony, held under tight security, was attended by the families of Bush and Cheney as well as members of the cabinet and administration, lawmakers, judges, diplomats, top military officers and specially invited guests.
The 63-year-old Cheney kept a low profile early in the first Bush administration, but was extremely active in the 2004 campaign, crisscrossing the country to rally the Republican faithful.
The vice-presidential oath is longer than that of the president and is the same as those taken by other high-ranking federal employees.
Cheney swore he would support and defend the US constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and he would "bear true faith and allegiance to the same."
He also pledged to "faithfully discharge" his duties.
A hard-nosed veteran of Washington political infighting, Cheney is fiercely loyal to the president, having no White House ambitions of his own because of poor health. He has suffered several heart attacks.
A darling of the Republican right and one of the most powerful vice presidents in history, Cheney has been a magnet for critics of the Bush administration.

01/20/2005 16:53 GMT - AFP