"A Yale dropout who avoided service in Vietnam, Cheney nonetheless became a giant of Republican politics. He was a White House aide under Richard Nixon; the youngest ever White House chief of staff, to Gerald Ford; a congressman under Ronald Reagan; secretary of defense to George HW Bush; and vice-president to George W Bush. His stamp remains: his daughter Liz Cheney, who followed him as a representative from Wyoming, is a senior member of Republican leadership in the US House."
"When the younger Bush plucked him from the corporate giant Halliburton to be his running mate in the 2000 presidential election, Cheney had already survived three heart attacks. Nor was he immune to mishap: once, while vice-president, he shot a hunting partner in the face. Nonetheless, he became one of the most powerful vice-presidents, widely reported to wield great influence over the less experienced Bush."
"In office on 11 September 2001, Cheney took charge after the attacks on New York and Washington while Bush was hurried to safety. Hugely experienced and with no department to run, working with the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, an ally from the days of Nixon and Ford, he assumed policy control. Cheney sought international co-operation but also thought, he later wrote, the Bush administration had an obligation to do whatever it took to defend America."
Dick Cheney, 84, served in multiple high-level Republican roles over five decades, including White House aide, Gerald Ford's chief of staff, congressman, secretary of defense under George HW Bush and vice-president under George W Bush. He rose from a Yale dropout who avoided Vietnam to become a powerful political operator with health challenges and public mishaps, yet significant influence. He assumed operational leadership after the 11 September 2001 attacks, coordinating with Donald Rumsfeld and directing policy responses including the Afghanistan campaign. His historical legacy centers on the 2003 decision to invade Iraq, justified publicly by alleged links to al-Qaida and weapons of mass destruction.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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