Minneapolis (AP)
Hot on the heels of President Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad, Vice President Dick Cheney paid a surprise two hour visit to the Mall of the Americas today to serve thanksgiving dinner to mall security guards.

"We are gratefull to your sacrifice, on this, the busiest shopping day of the year." said Cheney during a televised address. "We know that with the crowds, and bargain hungry shoppers, there could be terrorists and suicide bombers anywhere, and we are gratefull to you and your families for putting your lives on the line for your fellow Americans."

Some critics denounced the move as "less than heroic" especially after President Bush's secret airlift into an active war zone on Thursday. "Keep things in perspective," said Nemo Hornbach, a noted White House observer. "This is the same Vice President who holed up in a bunker for nearly a year after 9/11. I think going to the mall for him was a pretty bold move."

Along with his address, and serving dinner to the security guards, Cheney also apparently stopped in at Baby Gap to pick up stocking stuffers for his neice.