Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Tuesday paid a "courtesy call" to Vice President Dick Cheney to discuss a range of issues but did not bring up the imminent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling on the government's landmark antitrust case against the software maker. Ballmer is visiting Washington, D.C., for two days of meetings with some members of Congress and with major customers, said Microsoft spokeswoman Ginny Terzano. On Wednesday morning Ballmer will be addressing a work force summit hosted by the Department of Labor, speaking primarily about Microsoft's efforts to prepare workers for the high-tech work environment. But with the Court of Appeals ruling likely to come any day, the timing of the visit with the Vice President is a striking coincidence. It was the preceding Democratic administration that dragged the software giant to court in an antitrust case. "There was no mention of the case. It was not on the agenda, and it did not come up," Terzano said. Ballmer and Cheney spoke about worker education, trade, privacy and tax policy, she said.