WASHINGTON: Vice President Dick Cheney recently referred to himself as a “mystery man,” a wry reference to the Bush administration’s post-September 11 policy of keeping him largely hidden from public view — and away from the White House.

Working out of various remote locations, Cheney has remained totally engaged, helping President Bush pursue the war on terrorism, White House officials say. “The vice president remains at a secure location, where he is fully and completely informed of all events and is participating,” said one top White House aide.

Yet Cheney’s behind-the-scenes role looms as a potential image problem for a president who brought to the Oval Office only six years of direct political experience — as governor of Texas — and little background in foreign affairs.

“The rap from the beginning has been that Cheney was the puppetmaster — Bush his puppet,” said Larry E. Sabato, a University of Virginia political analyst. “While Bush has gone a long way toward disproving that, this new example of the ‘hidden-hand’ vice presidency could re-stoke suspicions that Cheney is still pulling the strings.”

Cheney has been kept under wraps for security reasons. More precisely, it is to guarantee an orderly succession if something were to happen to Bush, given the widespread fear of more terrorist attacks.

Bush, at his news conference on Thursday night, made a joking reference to Cheney’s changed routine. “I shook hands today with the vice president in the Oval Office,” Bush said. “I welcomed him from his secure location.”

Bush added that he and Cheney had been kept separate “for the sake of the continuity of government.”

As Cheney himself said: “My job, above all other things, is to be prepared to take over if something happens to the president.”

“There is not a specific, hourly, carved-in-stone policy,” Matalin said. “There’s assessment made every day. The policy is guided by prudent attention to government continuity.” —Dawn/The Los Angeles Times News Service.