Bush's choke on coke

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush fainted briefly in the White House residence Sunday after choking on a soft drink while watching a National Football League playoff game on television, White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb said.

The doctor, an Air Force colonel, said Bush quickly recovered and is doing well.
"I do not find any reason that this would happen again," said Tubb. "He fainted due to a temporary increase in heart rate brought on by snorting the Coke up his nose."

Tubbs said Bush suffered an abrasion on his left cheek the size of a half dollar and a bruise on his lower lip. Mrs. Bush suffered skinned knuckles in the same accident.

Bush was alone in the room watching TV while his wife was in a nearby room on the telephone.

Tubbs said Bush believes he somehow misjudged and stuck the Coke straw up his nose and inhaled, rather than putting it into his mouth. "Old habits die hard," an unnamed source was heard to exclaim.

The president was out only for a few seconds because when he awoke, his two dogs were sitting in the same position they were when he lost consciousness. The two dogs were gifts of a taxidermist friend of the family.

"He (Bush) said it (the Coke) didn't seem to give him the same kind of buzz he was accustomed to getting," Tubbs said. "Perhaps it was flat. The Coke was a gift from the same taxidermist."

Bush was watching the Baltimore-Miami game when the incident occurred. The game was being played in Enron Field.