In November 1962, at age 21, Cheney was convicted ofdriving while intoxicated (DWI). He was arrested for DWI again in 1963.[32] Cheney said the arrests made him "think about where I was and where I was headed. I was headed down a bad road if I continued on that course."[33]
In 1964, Cheney marriedLynne Vincent, his high-school sweetheart.[34]
When Cheney became eligible for thedraft, during theVietnam War, he applied for and received fivedraft deferments. In 1989, after Cheney was nominated forsecretary of defense,The Washington Post writer George C. Wilson interviewed him. When asked about his deferments, Cheney said, "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service."[35] Cheney testified during his confirmation hearings in 1989 that he received deferments to finish a college career that lasted six years rather than four owing to subpar academic performance and the need to work to pay for his education. Upon graduation, Cheney was eligible for the draft, but at the time, theSelective Service System was not inducting married men.[36] On October 26, 1965, the draft expanded to include married men without children; Cheney's first child,Elizabeth, was born nine months and two days later.[37][36] Cheney's fifth and final deferment granted him "3-A" status, a "hardship" deferment available to men with dependents. On January 30, 1967, Cheney turned 26 and was no longer eligible for the draft.[37]
In 1966, Cheney dropped out of the doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin to work as staff aide forGovernorWarren P. Knowles.[38]
Cheney's political career began in 1969, as an intern for CongressmanWilliam A. Steiger during theRichard Nixon Administration. He then joined the staff ofDonald Rumsfeld, who was then Director of theOffice of Economic Opportunity from 1969 to 1970.[32] He held several positions in the years that followed: White House Staff Assistant in 1971, Assistant Director of the Cost of Living Council from 1971 to 1973, and Deputy Assistant to the president from 1974 to 1975. As deputy assistant, Cheney suggested several options in a memo to Rumsfeld, including use of theU.S. Justice Department, that theFord administration could use to limit damage from an article, published byThe New York Times, in which investigative reporterSeymour Hersh reported thatU.S. Navy submarines had tapped into Soviet undersea communications as part of a highly classified program,Operation Ivy Bells.[39][40]
In 1978, Cheney was elected to represent Wyoming in theU.S. House of Representatives and succeeded retiringDemocratic CongressmanTeno Roncalio, having defeated his Democratic opponent, Bill Bagley. Cheney was re-elected five times, serving until 1989.[45]
Tenure
Leadership
In 1987, he was elected Chairman of theHouse Republican Conference. The following year, he was electedHouse minority whip.[24] He served for two and a half months before he was appointed Secretary of Defense instead of former U.S. senatorJohn G. Tower, whose nomination had been rejected by theU.S. Senate in March 1989.[46]
Cheney voted against the creation of theU.S. Department of Education, citing his concern over budget deficits and expansion of the federal government, and claiming that the department was an encroachment onstates' rights.[47] He voted against fundingHead Start, but reversed his position in 2000.[48]
Cheney supportedBob Michel's (R-IL) bid to become Republican Minority Leader.[50] In April 1980, Cheney endorsed GovernorRonald Reagan for president, becoming one of Reagan's earliest supporters.[51]
In 1986, after President Reagan vetoed theComprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, a bill set to imposeeconomic sanctions on South Africa for its policy ofapartheid, Cheney was one of 83 Representatives to vote against overriding Reagan's veto.[52] In later years, he articulated his opposition to unilateral sanctions against many different countries, stating "they almost never work"[53] and that in that case they might have ended up hurting the people instead.[54]
In 1986, Cheney, along with 145 Republicans and 31 Democrats, voted against a non-binding Congressional resolution calling on the South African government to releaseNelson Mandela from prison, after the Democrats defeated proposed amendments that would have required Mandela to renounce violence sponsored by theAfrican National Congress (ANC) and requiring it to oust thecommunist faction from its leadership; the resolution was defeated. Appearing onCNN, Cheney addressed criticism for this, saying he opposed the resolution because "the ANC was then viewed as a terrorist organization."[55]
Cheney said that his time atthe Pentagon was the most rewarding period of his public service career, calling it "the one that stands out."[61] In 2014, Cheney recounted that when he met with President Bush to accept the offer, he passed a painting in the private residence entitledThe Peacemakers, which depicted President Lincoln, General Grant, andWilliam Tecumseh Sherman. "My great-grandfather had served under William Tecumseh Sherman throughout the war," Cheney said, "and it occurred to me as I was in the room as I walked in to talk to the President about becoming Secretary of Defense, I wondered what he would have thought that his great-grandson would someday be in theWhite House with the President talking about taking over the reins of the U.S. military."[62]
Secretary Cheney with President George H. W. Bush, 1991
Cheney's most immediate issue as Secretary of Defense was theDepartment of Defense budget. Cheney deemed it appropriate to cut the budget and downsize the military, following theReagan Administration's peacetime defense buildup at the height of theCold War.[63] As part of the fiscal year 1990 budget, Cheney assessed the requests from each of the branches of the armed services for such expensive programs as theAvenger II Naval attack aircraft, theB-2 stealth bomber, theV-22 Osprey tilt-winghelicopter, theAegis destroyer, and theMX missile, totaling approximately $4.5 billion in light of changed world politics.[46] Cheney opposed the V-22 program, for which Congress had already appropriated funds, and initially refused to issue contracts for it before relenting.[64] When the 1990 Budget came before Congress in the summer of 1989, it settled on a figure between the Administration's request and theHouse Armed Services Committee's recommendation.[46]
In subsequent years under Cheney, the proposed and adopted budgets followed patterns similar to that of 1990. Early in 1991, he unveiled a plan to reduce military strength by the mid-1990s to 1.6 million, compared with 2.2 million when he entered office. Cheney's 1993 defense budget was reduced from 1992, omitting programs that Congress had directed the Department of Defense to buy weapons that it did not want, and omitting unrequested reserve forces.[46]
Over his four years as Secretary of Defense, Cheney downsized the military and his budgets showed negative real growth, despite pressures to acquire weapon systems advocated by Congress. The Department of Defense's total obligational authority in current dollars declined from $291 billion to $270 billion. Total military personnel strength decreased by 19%, from about 2.2 million in 1989 to about 1.8 million in 1993.[46] Notwithstanding the overall reduction in military spending, Cheney directed the development of a Pentagon plan to ensure U.S. military dominance in the post-Cold War era.[65]
Political climate and agenda
Secretary of Defense Cheney delivering a speech before the launch of destroyerUSSArleigh Burke
Cheney publicly expressed concern that nations such asIraq,Iran, andNorth Korea, could acquire nuclear components after thecollapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The end of the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the disintegration of theWarsaw Pact obliged the first Bush Administration to reevaluate theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) purpose and makeup. Cheney believed that NATO should remain the foundation of European security relationships and that it would remain important to the United States in the long term; he urged the alliance to lend more assistance to the new democracies inEastern Europe.[46]
Cheney's views on NATO reflected his skepticism about prospects for peaceful social development in the formerEastern Bloc countries, where he saw a high potential for political uncertainty and instability. He felt that the Bush Administration was too optimistic in supportingGeneral Secretary of the CPSUMikhail Gorbachev and his successor, Russian presidentBoris Yeltsin.[46] Cheney not only wanted the break-up of theUSSR but also ofRussia itself.[66] Cheney worked to maintain strong ties between the United States and its European allies.[67]
Cheney persuaded theKingdom of Saudi Arabia to allow bases for U.S. ground troops and war planes in the nation. This was an important element of the success of theGulf War, as well as a lightning-rod forIslamists, such asOsama bin Laden, who opposed having non-Muslim armies near their holy sites.[68]
International situations
Usingeconomic sanctions and political pressure, the United States mounted a campaign to drive Panamanian ruler GeneralManuel Antonio Noriega from power after he fell from favor.[46] In May 1989, afterGuillermo Endara had been duly electedPresident of Panama, Noriega nullified the election outcome, drawing intensified pressure. In October, Noriega suppressed amilitary coup, but in December, after soldiers of thePanamanian army killed a U.S. serviceman, theUnited States invasion of Panama began under Cheney's direction. The stated reason for the invasion was to seize Noriega to face drug charges in the United States, protect U.S. lives and property, and restore Panamaniancivil liberties.[69] Although the mission was controversial,[70] U.S. forces achieved control ofPanama and Endara assumed the presidency; Noriega was convicted and imprisoned onracketeering and drug trafficking charges in April 1992.[71]
In 1991, theSomali Civil War drew the world's attention. In August 1992, the United States began to providehumanitarian assistance, primarily food, through a military airlift. At President Bush's direction, Cheney dispatched the first of 26,000 U.S. troops toSomalia as part of theUnified Task Force (UNITAF), designed to provide security and food relief.[46] Cheney's successors as Secretary of Defense,Les Aspin andWilliam J. Perry, had to contend with both theBosnian War and Somali issues.[72]
Cheney and Schwarzkopf oversaw planning for what would become a full-scale U.S. military operation. According to GeneralColin Powell, Cheney "had become a glutton for information, with an appetite we could barely satisfy. He spent hours in theNational Military Command Center peppering my staff with questions."[46]
Shortly after the Iraqi invasion, Cheney made the first of several visits to Saudi Arabia whereKing Fahd requested U.S. military assistance. TheUnited Nations took action as well, passing a series of resolutions condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait; theUN Security Council authorized "all means necessary" to eject Iraq from Kuwait, and demanded that the country withdraw its forces by January 15, 1991.[73] By then, the United States had a force of about 500,000 stationed in Saudi Arabia and thePersian Gulf. Other nations, including Britain, Canada, France, Italy,Syria, andEgypt, contributed troops, and other allies, most notably Germany and Japan, agreed to provide financial support for the coalition effort, namedOperation Desert Shield.[46]
On January 12, 1991, Congress authorized Bush to use military force to enforce Iraq's compliance with UN resolutions on Kuwait.[73]
Military action
Bush meets withRobert Gates, GeneralColin Powell, Secretary Cheney, and others about the situation in the Persian Gulf and OperationDesert Shield, January 15, 1991
The first phase ofOperation Desert Storm, which began on January 17, 1991, was an air offensive to secure air superiority and attack Iraqi forces, targeting key Iraqi command and control centers, including the cities ofBaghdad andBasra. Cheney turned most other Department of Defense matters over to Deputy SecretaryDonald J. Atwood Jr. and briefed Congress during the air and ground phases of the war.[46] He flew with Powell to the region to review and finalize the ground war plans.[73]
After an air offensive of more than five weeks,Coalition forces launched the ground war on February 24. Within 100 hours, Iraqi forces had been routed from Kuwait and Schwarzkopf reported that the basic objective – expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait – had been met on February 27.[76] After consultation with Cheney and other members of his national security team, Bush declared a suspension of hostilities.[73] On working with this national security team, Cheney said, "there have been five Republican presidents sinceEisenhower. I worked for four of them and worked closely with a fifth – the Reagan years when I was part of the House leadership. The best national security team I ever saw was that one. The least friction, the most cooperation, the highest degree of trust among the principals, especially."[77]
Aftermath
A total of 147 U.S. military personnel died in combat, and another 236 died as a result of accidents or other causes.[46][76] Iraq agreed to a formal truce on March 3, and a permanent cease-fire on April 6. There was subsequent debate about whether Coalition forces should have driven as far as Baghdad to oust Saddam Hussein from power. Bush agreed that the decision to end the ground war when they did was correct, but the debate persisted as Hussein remained in power and rebuilt his military forces.[46] Arguably the most significant debate concerned whether U.S. and Coalition forces had left Iraq too soon.[78][79] In an April 15, 1994, interview withC-SPAN, Cheney was asked if the U.S.-led Coalition forces should have moved into Baghdad. Cheney replied that occupying and attempting to take over the country would have been a "bad idea" and would have led to a "quagmire", explaining that:
[If] we'd gone to Baghdad we would have been all alone. There wouldn't have been anybody else with us. There would have been a U.S. occupation of Iraq. None of the Arab forces that were willing to fight with us in Kuwait were willing to invade Iraq. Once you got to Iraq and took it over, took down Saddam Hussein's government, then what are you going to put in its place? That's a very volatile part of the world, and if you take down the central government of Iraq, you could very easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off: part of it, the Syrians would like to have to the west, part of it – eastern Iraq – the Iranians would like to claim, they fought over it for eight years. In the north you've got theKurds, and if the Kurds spin loose and join with the Kurds in Turkey, then you threaten the territorial integrity of Turkey. It's a quagmire if you go that far and try to take over Iraq. The other thing was casualties. Everyone was impressed with the fact we were able to do our job with as few casualties as we had. But for the 146 Americans killed in action, and for their families – it wasn't a cheap war. And the question for the president, in terms of whether or not we went on to Baghdad, took additional casualties in an effort to get Saddam Hussein, was how many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth? Our judgment was, not very many, and I think we got it right.[80][81]
Cheney regarded the Gulf War as an example of the kind of regional problem the United States was likely to continue to face in the future:[82]
We're always going to have to be involved [in the Middle East]. Maybe it's part of our national character, you know we like to have these problems nice and neatly wrapped up, put a ribbon around it. You deploy a force, you win the war and the problem goes away. But it doesn't work that way in the Middle East. It never has, and isn't likely to in my lifetime.
Private-sector career
Between 1987 and 1989, during his last term in Congress, Cheney was on the board of theCouncil on Foreign Relations foreign policy organization.[83]
With the inauguration of the new Democratic administration under PresidentBill Clinton inJanuary 1993, Cheney joined theAmerican Enterprise Institute. He also served a second term as a Council on Foreign Relations director from 1993 to 1995.[83]
From October 1, 1995[84] to July 25, 2000,[85] he was chairman of the board andchief executive officer ofHalliburton, aFortune 500 company. Cheney resigned as CEO on the same day he was announced as George Bush's vice-presidential pick in the 2000 election.[86]
Cheney's record as CEO was subject to some dispute amongWall Street analysts. A 1998 merger between Halliburton andDresser Industries attracted the criticism of some Dresser executives for Halliburton's lack of accounting transparency.[87] Halliburton shareholders pursued aclass-action lawsuit alleging that the corporation artificially inflated its stock price during this period, though Cheney was not named as an individualdefendant in the suit. In June 2011, theUnited States Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling and allowed the case to continue in litigation.[88] Cheney was named in a December 2010 corruption complaint filed by theNigerian government against Halliburton, which the company settled for $250 million.[89]
During Cheney's term, Halliburton changed its accounting practices regarding revenue realization of disputed costs on major construction projects.[90] Cheney resigned as CEO of Halliburton on July 25, 2000. As vice president, he argued that this step, along with establishing a trust and other actions, removed anyconflict of interest.[91] Cheney's net worth, estimated to be between $19 million and $86 million in 2003,[92] was largely derived from his position at Halliburton.[93] Cheney earned $36 million in 2000, primarily from a severance payment from Halliburton.[94] His 2006 gross joint income with his wife was nearly $8.82 million, primarily from exercising Halliburton stock options.[95]
The Bush–Cheney ticket won the 2000 presidential election with 271 electoral votes but with only 47.9% of the popular vote, less than their opposition ticket, Gore–Lieberman, which received 48.3%.
In early 2000, while CEO of Halliburton, Cheney headedGovernor of TexasGeorge W. Bush's vice-presidential search committee. On July 25, after reviewing Cheney's findings, Bush surprised some pundits by asking Cheney himself to join the Republican ticket.[32][96] However, aNew York Times article which was published on July 28, 2000 acknowledged that the decision to select Cheney as Bush's Vice Presidential nominee was in fact secretly made "weeks" before it was formally announced.[97] Halliburton reportedly reached agreement on July 20 to allow Cheney to retire, with a package estimated at $20 million.[98]
A few months before the election Cheney put his home inDallas up for sale and changed his drivers' license and voter registration back to Wyoming. This change was necessary to allow Texas' presidential electors to vote for both Bush and Cheney without contravening theTwelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which forbids electors from voting for "an inhabitant of the same state with themselves"[99] for both president and vice president.Cheney campaigned againstAl Gore's running mate,Joseph Lieberman, in the 2000 presidential election. While the election was undecided, the Bush-Cheney team was not eligible for public funding to plan a transition to a new administration, prompting Cheney to open a privately funded transition office in Washington. This office worked to identify candidates for all important positions in the cabinet.[100] According toCraig Unger, Cheney advocatedDonald Rumsfeld for the post of Secretary of Defense to counter the influence ofColin Powell at the State Department, and tried unsuccessfully to havePaul Wolfowitz named to replaceGeorge Tenet as director of theCentral Intelligence Agency.[101]
Following theSeptember 11 attacks, Cheney remained physically apart from Bush for security reasons. For a period, Cheney stayed at a variety of undisclosed locations, out of public view.[102] Cheney later revealed in his memoirIn My Time that these "undisclosed locations" included his official vice presidential residence, his home in Wyoming, andCamp David.[103] He also utilized a heavy security detail, employing a motorcade of 12 to 18 government vehicles for his daily commute from the vice presidential residence atNumber One Observatory Circle to the White House.[104]
Cheney speaks to US troops atCamp Anaconda, Iraq, in 2008
Following 9/11, Cheney was instrumental in providing a primary justification for a renewed war against Iraq. Cheney helped shape Bush's approach to the "war on terror", making numerous public statements alleging Iraq possessedweapons of mass destruction,[107] and making several personal visits toCIA headquarters, where he questioned mid-level agency analysts on their conclusions.[108] Cheney continued toallege links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, even though President Bush received a classified President's Daily Brief on September 21, 2001, indicating the U.S. intelligence community had no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11 attacks and that "there was scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda."[109] Furthermore, in 2004, the9/11 Commission concluded that there was no "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al-Qaeda.[110] By 2014, Cheney continued to misleadingly claim that Saddam "had a 10-year relationship with al Qaeda".[111]
Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Cheney remained steadfast in his support of the war, stating that it would be an "enormous success story",[112] and made many visits to the country. He often criticizedwar critics, calling them "opportunists" who were peddling "cynical and pernicious falsehoods" to gain political advantage while U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. In response, SenatorJohn Kerry asserted, "It is hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq [than Cheney]."[113]
In a March 24, 2008, extended interview conducted in Ankara, Turkey, withABC News correspondentMartha Raddatz on the fifth anniversary of the original U.S. military assault on Iraq, Cheney responded to a question about public opinion polls showing that Americans had lost confidence in the war by simply replying "So?"[114] This remark prompted widespread criticism, including from formerOklahoma Republican congressmanMickey Edwards, a long-time personal friend of Cheney.[115]
The Bush–Cheney ticket won the 2004 presidential election with 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes.
Bush and Cheney were re-elected in the2004 presidential election, running againstJohn Kerry and his running mate,John Edwards. During the election, the pregnancy of his daughterMary and hersexual orientation as a lesbian became a source of public attention for Cheney in light of thesame-sex marriage debate.[116] Cheney later stated that he was in favor of gay marriages personally, but that each individual U.S. state should decide whether to permit it or not.[117] Cheney's former chief legal counsel,David Addington,[118] became his chief of staff and remained in that office until Cheney's departure from office.John P. Hannah served as Cheney's national security adviser.[119]Until his indictment and resignation[120] in 2005,I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr. served in both roles.[121]
On the morning of July 21, 2007, Cheney once again served as acting president, from 7:16 am to 9:21 am. Bush transferred the power of the presidency prior to undergoing a medical procedure, requiring sedation, and later resumed his powers and duties that same day.[122]
After his term began in 2001, Cheney was occasionally asked if he was interested in the Republican nomination for the2008 presidential election. However, he always maintained that he wished to retire upon the expiration of his term and he did not run in the2008 presidential primaries. The Republicans nominated Arizona SenatorJohn McCain.[123]
Disclosure of documents
Cheney was a prominent member of the National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG),[124] commonly known as theEnergy Task Force, composed of energy industry representatives, including severalEnron executives. After theEnron scandal, the Bush administration was accused of improper political and business ties. In July 2003, theSupreme Court ruled that theUnited States Department of Commerce must disclose NEPDG documents, containing references to companies that had made agreements with the previous Iraqi government to extract Iraq's petroleum.[125]
Handwritten note aboveJoe Wilson's editorial by Cheney referring to the covert agent before the leak took place
On October 18, 2005,The Washington Post reported that the vice president's office was central to the investigation of theValerie Plame CIA leak scandal, for Cheney's former chief of staff,Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was one of the figures under investigation.[134] Libby resigned his positions as Cheney's chief of staff and assistant on national security affairs later in the month after he was indicted.[135]
In February 2006,The National Journal reported that Libby had stated before agrand jury that his superiors, including Cheney, had authorized him to disclose classified information to the press regarding intelligence on Iraq's weapons.[136] That September,Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state, publicly announced that he was the source of the revelation of Plame's status. Armitage said he was not a part of a conspiracy to reveal Plame's identity and did not know whether one existed.[137]
On March 6, 2007, Libby was convicted on fourfelony counts for obstruction of justice,perjury, and making false statements to federal investigators.[138] In his closing arguments, independent prosecutorPatrick Fitzgerald said that there was "a cloud over the vice president",[139] an apparent reference to Cheney's interview withFBI agents investigating the case, which was made public in 2009.[140] Cheney lobbied President George W. Bush vigorously and unsuccessfully to grant Libby a fullpresidential pardon up to the day ofBarack Obama's inauguration, likening Libby to a "soldier on the battlefield".[141][142] Libby was subsequently pardoned by PresidentDonald Trump in April 2018.[143]
Vice President Cheney speaks to the press flanked by fellow RepublicansMitch McConnell (left) andTrent Lott (right), April 2007
On February 27, 2007, at about 10 am, asuicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded 20 more outsideBagram Airfield inAfghanistan during a visit by Cheney. TheTaliban claimed responsibility for the attack and declared that Cheney was its intended target. They also claimed that Osama bin Laden supervised the operation.[144] The bomb went off outside the front gate while Cheney was inside the base and half a mile away. He reported hearing the blast, saying "I heard a loud boom... TheSecret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate."[145] The purpose of Cheney's visit to the region had been to pressPakistan for a united front against the Taliban.[146]
In June 2007,The Washington Post summarized Cheney's vice presidency in aPulitzer Prize-winning[155]four-part series, based in part on interviews with former administration officials. The articles characterized Cheney not as a "shadow" president, but as someone who usually had the last words of counsel to the president on policies, which in many cases would reshape the powers of the presidency. When former vice presidentDan Quayle suggested to Cheney that the office was largely ceremonial, Cheney reportedly replied, "I have a different understanding with the president." The articles described Cheney as having a secretive approach to the tools of government, indicated by the use of his own security classification and three man-sized safes in his offices.[156]
The articles described Cheney's influence on decisions pertaining to detention of suspected terrorists and the legal limits that apply to their questioning, especially what constitutestorture.[157]U.S. Army ColonelLawrence Wilkerson, who served as Colin Powell's chief of staff when he was bothChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the same time Cheney was Secretary of Defense, and then later when Powell wasSecretary of State, stated in an in-depth interview that Cheney andDonald Rumsfeld established an alternative program to interrogate post-9/11 detainees because of their mutual distrust ofCIA.[158]
The Washington Post articles, principally written byBarton Gellman, further characterized Cheney as having the strongest influence within the administration in shaping budget and tax policy in a manner that assures "conservative orthodoxy."[159] They also highlighted Cheney's behind-the-scenes influence on theBush administration's environmental policy to ease pollution controls for power plants, facilitate the disposal ofnuclear waste, open access to federal timber resources, and avoid federal constraints ongreenhouse gas emissions, among other issues. The articles characterized his approach to policy formulation as favoring business over the environment.[160]
In June 2008, Cheney allegedly attempted to block efforts by Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice to strike a controversial U.S. compromise deal withNorth Korea over the communist state's nuclear program.[161]
In July 2008, a formerEnvironmental Protection Agency official stated publicly that Cheney's office had pushed significantly for large-scale deletions from aCenters for Disease Control and Prevention report on thehealth effects of global warming "fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases."[162] In October, when the report appeared with six pages cut from the testimony, the White House stated that the changes were made due to concerns regarding the accuracy of the science. However, according to the former senior adviser on climate change to Environmental Protection Agency AdministratorStephen Johnson, Cheney's office was directly responsible for nearly half of the original testimony being deleted.[162]
In July 2012, Cheney used his Wyoming home to host a private fundraiser for Republican presidential candidateMitt Romney, which netted over $4 million in contributions from attendees for Romney's campaign.[165]
Cheney was the subject of the documentary filmThe World According to Dick Cheney, which premiered March 15, 2013, on theShowtime television channel.[166][167][168] Cheney was also reported to be the subject of anHBO televisionmini-series based onBarton Gellman's 2008 bookAngler[169] and the 2006 documentaryThe Dark Side, produced byPBS.[108]
Cheney maintained a visible public profile after leaving office,[170] being especially critical ofObama administration policies on national security.[171][172][173] In May 2009, Cheney spoke of his support forsame-sex marriage, becoming one of the most prominent Republican politicians to do so. Speaking to theNational Press Club, Cheney stated: "People ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish. I do believe, historically, the way marriage has been regulated is at a state level. It's always been a state issue, and I think that's the way it ought to be handled today."[174] In 2012, Cheney reportedly encouraged several Maryland state legislators to vote to legalize same-sex marriage in that state.[175] Although, by custom, a former vice president unofficially receives six months of protection from theUnited States Secret Service, President Obama reportedly extended the protection period for Cheney.[176]
On July 11, 2009, CIA directorLeon Panetta told the Senate and House intelligence committees that the CIA withheld information about a secretcounter-terrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from Cheney. Intelligence and Congressional officials have said the unidentified program did not involve theCIA interrogation program and did not involve domestic intelligence activities. They have said the program was started by the counter-terrorism center at the CIA shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, but never became fully operational, involving planning and some training that took place off and on from 2001 until 2009.[177]The Wall Street Journal reported, citing former intelligence officials familiar with the matter, that the program was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or killal Qaeda operatives.[178]
Cheney attending his daughter Liz's ceremonial congressional swearing-in ceremony in January 2017
Cheney said that theTea Party Movement was a "positive influence on the Republican Party" and that "I think it's much better to have that kind of turmoil and change in the Republican Party than it would be to have it outside."[179] In May 2016, Cheney endorsedDonald Trump as the Republican nominee in the2016 presidential election.[180] That November, his daughter Liz wonelection to the House of Representatives (to his former congressional seat). When she was sworn into office in January 2017, Cheney said he believed she would do well in the position and that he would offer advice only if requested.[181] In March 2017, Cheney said thatRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections could be considered "an act of war".[182]
On December 29, 2009, four days after theattempted bombing of an international passenger flight from the Netherlands to United States, Cheney criticized PresidentBarack Obama: "[We] are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren't, it makes us less safe. ... Why doesn't he want to admit we're at war? It doesn't fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency – social transformation – the restructuring of American society."[183] In response,White House communications directorDan Pfeiffer wrote on the officialWhite House blog the following day, "[I]t is telling that Vice President Cheney and others seem to be more focused on criticizing the Administration than condemning the attackers. Unfortunately too many are engaged in the typical Washington game of pointing fingers and making political hay, instead of working together to find solutions to make our country safer."[184][185] During a February 14, 2010, appearance onABC'sThis Week, Cheney reiterated his criticism of the Obama administration's policies for handling suspected terrorists, criticizing the "mindset" of treating "terror attacks against the United States as criminal acts as opposed to acts of war".[164]
In a May 2, 2011, interview withABC News, Cheney praised the Obama administration for the covert military operation in Pakistan that resulted in thedeath of Osama bin Laden.[186] In 2014, during an interview withSean Hannity, he called Obama a "weak President" after Obama announced his plans to pull forces out of Afghanistan.[187]
In 2015, Cheney published another book,Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America, again co-authored with his daughterLiz. The book traces the history ofU.S. foreign policy and military successes and failures fromFranklin Roosevelt's administration through theObama administration. The authors tell the story of what they describe as the unique role the United States has played as a defender of freedom throughout the world sinceWorld War II.[191] Drawing upon the notion ofAmerican exceptionalism, the co-authors criticizeBarack Obama's and formersecretary of state Hillary Clinton's foreign policies, and offer what they see as the solutions needed to restore American greatness and power on the world stage in defense of freedom.[192][193]
Cheney criticized theTrump administration at theAmerican Enterprise InstituteWorld Forum alongside Vice PresidentMike Pence in March 2019. Questioning his successor on Trump's commitment toNATO and tendency to announce policy decisions onTwitter before consulting senior staff members, Cheney commented, "It seems, at times, as though your administration’s approach has more in common with Obama’s foreign policy than traditional Republican foreign policy."[196] That same year, Cheney appeared at a Trump 2020 fundraiser.[197]
On September 6, 2024, Cheney released a public statement confirming that he intended to cast his vote in the2024 presidential election for Democratic nomineeKamala Harris. The previous day, his daughter Liz had told a crowd of Cheney's intention to do so.[203] In his statement, Cheney opined
In our nation's 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again. As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend ourConstitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.[203]
Cheney's early public opinion polls were more favorable than unfavorable, reaching his peak approval rating in the wake of the September 11 attacks at 68%.[16] However, polling numbers for both him and president George W. Bush gradually declined in their second terms,[16][208] with Cheney reaching his lowest point shortly before leaving office at 13%.[208][209][16][210]
In April 2007, Cheney was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service byBrigham Young University, where he delivered the commencement address.[211] His selection as commencement speaker was controversial. The college board of trustees issued a statement explaining that the invitation should be viewed "as one extended to someone holding the high office of vice president of the United States rather than to a partisan political figure".[212] BYU permitted a protest to occur so long as it did not "make personal attacks against Cheney, attack (the) BYU administration, thechurch or theFirst Presidency".[213]
Cheney is considered by many sources to have been the most powerful vice president in American history.[4][5][214] In its obituary of Cheney,The New York Times described him as such, and cited him as President Bush's "most influential White House adviser in an era of terrorism, war and economic change".[20]USA Today noted that Cheney was the "chief architect of the war in Iraq" and one of the last figures of the "old Republican Party guard".[215] TheBBC called Cheney "the ultimate Washington insider" who helped shape the foreign policy powers of the presidency.[19] According toAl Jazeera, he fought intensely for an expansion of the president's power, which he felt had been eroding since Watergate, and increased the vice president's clout by putting together a national security team that often served as a power center within theGeorge W. Bush administration.[216] He was noted for expanding the powers of the vice presidency and having "built unrivalled authority and influence."[217] Cheney was additionally noted for having transformed the once-mundane role of the vice presidency into a "U.S. version of the office of prime minister, subordinate to, but almost coequal of, the presidency itself".[217] Cheney had a "commanding [hand], in implementing decisions most important to [President Bush] and some of surpassing interest to himself".[218]
Cheney "wielded rare clout in Washington for over three decades," but received negative and controversial reception globally, primarily for the role he played in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, his promotion of the existence of evidently non-existentweapons of mass destruction as acasus belli for the former conflict, and the promotion and supervision of the increased use of torture against citizens and foreign nationals atGuantanamo Bay and other U.S. detention facilities worldwide.[20][214]
As a result of Cheney's admittance that he signed off on the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques,"[219][220] some public officials, media outlets, and advocacy groupshad called for his prosecution under various anti-torture andwar crimes statutes.[221][222] French newspaperLe Monde described Cheney as the "father" of the invasion of Iraq who "embodied the excesses of the war on terror".[223]Jon Meacham's bookDestiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, published in November 2015, describes Bush as being simultaneously laudatory and critical of the former vice president, with Bush describing him as "having his own empire" and being "very hard-line."[224]
InEminem's 2002 single "Without Me", where the lines "I know that you got a job, Ms. Cheney / But your husband's heart problem's complicating" refer to hishealth problems.[225]
Bob Rivers did a parody cover called "Cheney's Got a Gun"[234]
Cheney has been compared toDarth Vader, a characterization originated by his critics, but which was later adopted humorously by Cheney himself as well as by members of his family and staff.[235]
Since 1993, Cheney owned a house inTeton County, Wyoming.[241] In 1987, Cheney purchased a house inMcLean, Virginia for $450,000; he sold it toJoe Allbaugh in 2001 for $690,000.[242] In 2000, he sold a multimillion dollar house in Dallas, where he lived while he was chairman of Halliburton.[242] In 2000, he acquired a lot in McLean for $1.35 million and filed plans to build a 21,000 square foot home.[242][243] In 2008, Cheney purchased a home onChain Bridge Road inMcLean, Virginia, which he tore down for a replacement structure to be built.[244] At the time of his death, the house had a market value of $5.8 million.[245] In 2019, he sold his vacation house inSaint Michaels, Maryland onEastern Shore of Maryland for $2.1 million, at a loss; he had paid $2.67 million for the house in 2005.[246]
Health problems
Cheney's long histories ofcardiovascular disease and periodic need for urgent health care raised questions of whether he was medically fit to serve in public office.[247] Havingsmoked approximately three packs ofcigarettes per day for nearly 20 years,[248] Cheney had his first of fiveheart attacks on June 18, 1978,[249] at age 37. Subsequent heart attacks in 1984, 1988, 2000, and 2010 resulted in the moderate contractile dysfunction of hisleft ventricle.[250] He underwent four-vesselcoronary artery bypass grafting in 1988, coronary arterystenting in November 2000, urgent coronary balloonangioplasty in March 2001, and the implantation of aimplantable cardioverter-defibrillator in June 2001.[251]
On September 24, 2005, Cheney underwent a six-hour endo-vascular procedure to repairpopliteal arteryaneurysms bilaterally, acatheter treatment technique used in the artery behind each knee.[252] The condition was discovered at a regular physical in July, and was not life-threatening.[253] Cheney was hospitalized for tests after experiencing shortness of breath five months later. In late April 2006, anultrasound revealed that the clot was smaller.[252]
On March 5, 2007, Cheney was treated fordeep vein thrombosis in his left leg atGeorge Washington University Hospital after experiencing pain in his left calf. Doctors prescribed blood-thinning medication and allowed him to return to work.[254]CBS News reported that during the morning of November 26, 2007, Cheney was diagnosed withatrial fibrillation and underwent treatment that afternoon.[252] On July 12, 2008, Cheney underwent acardiology exam; doctors reported that his heartbeat was normal for a 67-year-old man with a history of heart problems. As part of his annual checkup, he was administered anelectrocardiogram andradiological imaging of thestents placed in the arteries behind his knees in 2005. Doctors said that Cheney had not experienced any recurrence of atrial fibrillation and that his specialpacemaker had neither detected nor treated anyheart arrhythmia.[255] On October 15, 2008, Cheney returned to the hospital briefly to treat a minor irregularity.[256]
On January 19, 2009, Cheneystrained his back "while moving boxes into his new house," according to a White House statement. As a consequence, he was in a wheelchair for two days, including his attendance at the2009 United States presidential inauguration.[257][258] On February 22, 2010, Cheney was admitted toGeorge Washington University Hospital after experiencing chest pains. A spokesperson later said Cheney had experienced a mild heart attack after doctors had run tests.[259] On June 25, 2010, Cheney was admitted to George Washington University Hospital after reporting discomfort.[260]
In early-July 2010, Cheney was outfitted with aleft-ventricular assist device (LVAD) atInova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute to compensate for worsening congestiveheart failure.[261] The device pumped blood continuously through his body.[262][263] He was released from Inova on August 9, 2010,[264] and had to decide whether to seek a fullheart transplant.[265][266] This pump wascentrifugal and as a result he remained alive without apulse for nearly fifteen months.[267]
On March 24, 2012, Cheney underwent a seven-hour heart transplant procedure atInova Fairfax Hospital inWoodburn, Virginia. He had been on a waiting list for more than 20 months before receiving the heart from an anonymous donor.[268][269] Cheney's principalcardiologist, Jonathan Reiner, advised his patient that "it would not be unreasonable for an otherwise healthy 71-year-old man to expect to live another 10 years" with a transplant, saying in a family-authorized interview that he considered Cheney to be otherwise healthy.[270] Cheney and Reiner later collaborated on a book published in 2013 bySimon & Schuster,Heart: An American Medical Odyssey -- The Story of a Patient, a Doctor, and 35 Years of Medical Innovation.[271][272]
On February 11, 2006, Cheney accidentally shotHarry Whittington, a then-78-year-oldTexas attorney, while participating in aquail hunt at Armstrong ranch inKenedy County, Texas.[273]Secret Service agents and medical aides, who were traveling with Cheney, came to Whittington's assistance and treated his birdshot wounds to his right cheek, neck, and chest. An ambulance standing by for the Vice President took Whittington to nearbyKingsville before he was flown by helicopter toCorpus Christi Memorial Hospital. The incident was the subject of jokes and satire and hurt Cheney's popularity.[274][275] According to polls two weeks after the accident, Cheney's approval rating dropped 5 percentage points to 18%.[276]
Like other members of his family, Cheney was a passionate fisherman, especiallyfly fishing on theSnake River. His frequent boatmate, Dick Scarlett, said that he was very good, "Dick can place a fly on a saucer at 40 feet."[277] While vice president, he was pressed for time but still spent about ten days a year on the water and hisSecret Service code name was "Angler". He had a library of about a hundred books about fishing including classics such asErnest Schwiebert'sTrout and Izaak Walton'sThe Compleat Angler. He liked to fish in silence and was stoic about the occasional injury such as being hooked by another fisherman's fly.[277][30]
Cheney died in Northern Virginia on the evening of November 3, 2025, at the age of 84.[19][20] He had been experiencing complications related topneumonia andvascular disease.[18]
Former president George W. Bush issued a statement praising Cheney as "among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held".[278] Former Democratic presidentsBill Clinton,Barack Obama, andJoe Biden (who is also a former vice president) also issued statements honoring Cheney.[279][280][281] All other living former vice presidentsDan Quayle,Al Gore,Mike Pence, andKamala Harris released statements following Cheney's death.[281][282] President Donald Trump and Vice PresidentJD Vance did not issue a statement after his death was announced.[281][283] U.S. flags at theWhite House were lowered in Cheney's honor on the day of his death.[284] After being questioned about Trump's lack of a comment regarding Cheney's death,Press SecretaryKaroline Leavitt stated that Trump was "aware" that Cheney had died without elaborating any further.[285] Senate majority leaderJohn Thune said that the Republican leadership reviewed the possibility of having Cheneylying in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.[286]
Online, some commentators such asAlex Jones andOmar Suleiman denounced Cheney as a mass murderer and war criminal who faced no prosecution while alive.[287][288]
His funeral was held at theWashington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on November 20.[289] It marked only the second time a vice president had their funeral held at the cathedral.[290] Family members present included his widowLynne, his two daughters, and his daughterLiz's children.[291] Former presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush were in attendance along with former first ladiesJill Biden andLaura Bush.[292][293] Former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle also attended the service along with former second ladiesMarilyn Quayle andKaren Pence. Former second gentlemanDoug Emhoff declined to attend.
Cheney's daughterLiz, three of his grandchildren, Bush, former NBC News correspondentPete Williams and Cheney's former cardiologist Jonathan Reiner delivered eulogies.[296][297] Rev.Randolph Hollerith closed the service with ahomily.[296] Former president Bill Clinton declined to attend due to his attending an event in Arkansas celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Arkansas governor's mansion.[298] Former president Barack Obama also declined to attend.[299] US president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance were not invited.[300] Former first ladiesHillary Clinton andMichelle Obama declined to attend as well.[292]
Cheney, Richard B.;Cheney, Lynne V. (1983).Kings of the Hill: Power and Personality in the House of Representatives. New York: Continuum.ISBN0-8264-0230-5.
Cheney, Dick (1997).Professional Military Education: An Asset for Peace and Progress. Directed and edited by Bill Taylor. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic & International Studies.ISBN0-89206-297-5.OCLC36929146.
^abcdeMcCollough, Lindsay G. (Producer); Gellman, Barton (Narrator).The Life and Career of Dick Cheney.The Washington Post (Narrated slideshow). RetrievedDecember 18, 2007.
^Walsh, Kenneth T. (October 5, 2003)."The Man Behind the Curtain".U.S. News & World Report.Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2009.
^Froomkin, Dan (August 22, 2006)."Inside the Real West Wing".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2008.
^Brazelon, Emily (November 18, 2007)."All the President's Powers".The New York Times.Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. RetrievedNovember 18, 2007.
^Obama, Barack (November 5, 2025)."Barack Obama post on the death of Dick Cheney".Facebook.com. RetrievedNovember 6, 2025.Although Dick Cheney and I represented very different political traditions, I respected his life-long devotion to public service and his deep love of country. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family.
Cheney, Dick, with Liz Cheney. (2011) In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir (New York: Threshold Editions). 568pp.online review of this autobiography
David, Charles‐Philippe. (2015) "Policy entrepreneurs and the reorientation of national security policy under the GW bush administration (2001‐04)."Politics & Policy 43.1: 163–195.
Goldstein, Joel K. (August 31, 2009).Cheney, Vice Presidential Power and the War on Terror. Toronto: APSA Meeting Paper.SSRN1450601.
Griffin, Christopher. (2016) "When the second becomes number one: vice-presidential power in foreign and defense policy in the twenty-first century."Essais. Revue interdisciplinaire d’Humanités 10: 131–145.online
Goldstein, Joel K. "The contemporary presidency: Cheney, vice presidential power, and the war on terror."Presidential Studies Quarterly 40.1 (2010): 102–139.online
Lechelt, Jack. (2017) "The Loyal Foot Soldier: Vice President Cheney in the War on Terror." inAmerica's War on Terror (Routledge) pp. 64–76.
Mahmood, Faris Turky. (2018) "The Role of Vice President in the Making of American Foreign Policy Dick Cheney as study case."Regional Studies Journal 12.38: 213–242.online
Mann, James. (2024)The Great Rift: Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and the Broken Friendship That Defined an Era (Macmillan+ ORM)online.
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