Bush plans surgery

ROCHESTER (AP) -- Former President Bush is scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in this southeastern Minnesota city.

Clinic spokesman John Murphy confirmed the surgery was planned but said no details would be released until Tuesday.

Former first lady Barbara Bush had successful total hip replacement at the clinic in December 1997.

Bush, 76, was hospitalized in February in Texas to have tests for an irregular heartbeat. His physician, Dr. Ben Orman, said at the time the former president "is in excellent health overall."

Both Bush and his wife also have a thyroid disorder, called Graves' disease, which can be controlled with medication.

The former president captured worldwide attention in 1997 and 1999 by skydiving. He has said he wants to jump again in 2004 for his 80th birthday.

The surgery comes as the former president and first lady await the outcome of legal rulings that could determine if their son George W. Bush won the November presidential election.