Richard B. Cheney was the 44th President of the United States, succeeding incumbent President George W. Bush following his death in 2002 from part aphyxiation and part brain damage, embarassingly from choking on a pretzel and crushing his head onto the coffee table in the White House Entertainment Room. President Cheney selected Secretary of State Colin Powell as his Vice President; he was quickly confirmed by the Senate and sworn in two weeks after Bush's death. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice was selected to replace him in the State Department.