"I believe the right leader for this moment in history is Senator John McCain," Cheney said at a campaign event in Laramie, Wyoming.

Cheney brought up the September 11, 2001 attacks, which he said "left our country shaken that day," and highlighted Bush's role as commander-in-chief.

"In that terrible time we looked to our leader, and we found new strength. In the aftermath of 9/11, few would have guessed that our nation would go this long without another attack, but we have," he said to applause from the crowd.

"And that success is due to some wise decisions by the president, as well as the outstanding work of people in law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security, and the United States military," he said.

"John is a man who understands the danger facing America, he's a man who has looked into the face of evil and not flinched," said Cheney, who has served as vice president alongside President George W. Bush for two terms.

"I'm delighted to support John McCain, and I'm pleased that he has chosen a running mate with executive talent, toughness, and common sense," said Cheney, referring to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Democrat Barack Obama, on the campaign trail with just three days to go before the November 4 election, lambasted the endorsement as proof the Republican ticket is synonymous with Bush's administration.

Obama's campaign, which has repeatedly linked McCain to what they call Bush's "failed policies," issued a preview of Obama's remarks to be given Saturday afternoon in Pueblo, Colorado.

"I'd like to congratulate Senator McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy. Senator McCain had to vote 90 percent of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get it," Obama was to say.

"He served as Washington's biggest cheerleader for going to war in Iraq, and supports economic policies that are no different from the last eight years."

The vice president made the endorsement because he "knows that with John McCain you get a twofer: George Bush's economic policy and Dick Cheney's foreign policy -- but that's a risk we cannot afford to take," Obama's remarks read.

"When it comes to foreign policy, John McCain and Dick Cheney share a common philosophy that thinks that empty bluster from Washington will fix all of our problems, and a war without end in Iraq is the way to defeat Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda terrorists who are in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium