Former US President George W. Bush has issued a statement paying tribute to Dick Cheney, acknowledging his death as “a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends.”
Cheney passed away on Monday night at the age of 84 due to complications arising from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a family statement.
Serving as one of the most influential US vice-presidents under Bush, Cheney leaves behind a controversial legacy, particularly as a key architect of the “war on terror” and an early proponent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation,” Bush stated.
Bush added that Cheney was “a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held.”
“I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people.”
Condoleezza Rice, who served as Secretary of State during the Bush administration alongside Cheney, expressed her admiration for him “for his integrity and his love of our country.”
“He was an inspiring presence and mentor who taught me a great deal about public service,” she shared on X.
Former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, commented: “Though we often disagreed, I always respected his dedication to our country and his unwavering sense of duty.”
Despite being a long-standing figure in the Republican party, Cheney became a vocal critic during Donald Trump’s leadership.
While the president has yet to issue a statement, the White House has confirmed that Trump is “aware” of the news.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, “Scripture is very clear, we give honour where honour is due.”
“Even when we had political differences as somebody later in life, you have to honour the sacrifices and the service they gave to their country,” he added.
Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff on Tuesday morning, shortly after the announcement of his death.
In their statement, Cheney’s family described him as a “great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honour, love, kindness, and fly fishing.”
Cheney’s role in the “war on terror,” particularly the US invasion of Iraq following the 9/11 attacks, has made him a controversial figure.
Iraqi writer Sinan Antoon stated that Cheney’s lasting legacy in the country is one of “chaos and terrorism.”
“In a different world Dick Cheney would definitely be a war criminal and would be standing trial,” he told the BBC’s Newshour program.
Kristofer Goldsmith, a US Army veteran who served in Iraq, told the BBC that “most people recognise Dick Cheney as someone who created a massive problem that ended up in hundreds of thousands of deaths.”
Richard “Dick” Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1941. He attended Yale University on a scholarship but did not graduate.
He later earned a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming.
Cheney’s career in Washington began in 1968, when he worked for William Steiger, a Republican representative from Wisconsin.
He became chief of staff under President Gerald Ford in 1975 at the age of 34, before serving for a decade in the House of Representatives.
As secretary of defense under George Bush Snr, Cheney oversaw the Pentagon during the 1990-91 Gulf War, which resulted in the expulsion of Iraqi troops from Kuwait by a US-led coalition.
He became Vice President under George W. Bush in 2001, taking on a more significant role in policy decisions than most of his predecessors.
It is in this role that he will be remembered most prominently and controversially.
During the younger Bush’s administration, he transformed the vice-presidency from a largely ceremonial role with limited power into a de facto deputy presidency, overseeing American foreign policy and national security following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001.
He was a leading advocate for US military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, Cheney asserted that Saddam Hussein’s regime possessed weapons of mass destruction, which were never found during the military campaign.
He also repeatedly claimed links between Iraq and al-Qaeda, the terror group led by Osama bin Laden responsible for the 9/11 attacks, stating that the attackers would face the “full wrath” of American military might.
Cheney’s central role in the campaign significantly impacted his political legacy, as the US took years to withdraw from the costly war in Iraq, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
His political career was later dramatized in the 2018 film “Vice,” with actor Christian Bale winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the former vice-president.
Cheney had a history of heart problems throughout his life.
He suffered his first heart attack in 1978 at the age of 37 while campaigning for a seat in the House of Representatives and smoking three packs of cigarettes a day.
In 2010, he underwent surgery to implant a heart pump to combat “increasing congestive heart failure.”
By this time, he had already suffered five heart attacks. Two years later, Cheney had a full heart transplant.
He is survived by his wife, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary Cheney, and seven grandchildren.
Despite his decades of service under Republican presidents, he became a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump.
After initially endorsing Trump in 2016, Cheney was dismayed by allegations of Russian interference in the presidential election and Trump’s apparent indifference toward NATO.
He supported his older daughter, Liz, as she became a leading Republican “never Trumper” in the House of Representatives, and condemned the refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.
Two months before the US presidential election last year, Cheney made a significant intervention, announcing that he would vote for the Democrats’ Kamala Harris.
He stated that there had “never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
In response, Trump labeled Cheney an “irrelevant RINO,” an acronym for “Republican in name only.”
In his final years, Cheney became persona non grata within his own party, which had been reshaped in Trump’s image.
Ironically, his criticism of Trump and endorsement of Harris garnered him praise from some on the left who had previously denounced him.
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