Plane carrying vice president Dick Cheney hits bird, lands without incident

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney's plane struck a bird as it arrived in Chicago on Friday, but Air Force Two landed safely and the vice president delivered a scathing speech impugning Democrats in Congress.

Mechanics checked the plane as Cheney spoke at the Heritage Foundation's annual leadership conference, but the incident did not delay his departure from O'Hare International Airport to return to Washington.

"A bird hit the right engine of the plane upon landing," Megan McGinn, a spokeswoman for the vice president, said. "He was told after he delivered his remarks."

During his remarks, Cheney rebuked lawmakers for trying to tie money to pay for the war in Iraq to a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. He called such a move unacceptable and said it is the president's sole duty to direct military operations. He also said the country does not need 535 secretaries of state, a jab at Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who recently traveled to Syria.

After the speech, Cheney, accompanied by his daughter, Liz Cheney, made an unannounced stop so they could buy a birthday gift for one of his granddaughters. Cheney posed for pictures with little girls while Liz Cheney secured a doll with a Western cowboy hat and get-up.