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Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman. He was the 46th vice president of the United States under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. Before he became vice president, he was the Secretary of Defense from 1989 to 1993, during George H. W. Bush's presidency. He was also a member of the House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989, and was White House chief of staff from 1975 to 1977. He is currently the oldest living former U.S. vice president, following the death of Walter Mondale in 2021. He is a Republican.

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney grew up there and in Casper, Wyoming.[1] He attended Yale University and the University of Wyoming. He started his career in politics as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger. Before he became vice president, he was the White House chief of staff from 1975 to 1977, a member of the House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989, and the Secretary of Defense from 1989 to 1993, during George H. W. Bush's presidency.[2] Cheney was also the chairman and CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000.

Cheney was chosen to be George W. Bush's running mate in the 2000 presidential election. They defeated their Democratic opponents, incumbent vice president Al Gore and Senator Joe Lieberman. Cheney successfully won re-election to a second term as vice president with Bush as president in 2004, defeating Democratic opponents Senators John Kerry and John Edwards.

As vice president, Cheney had a big role on how President George W. Bush's administration handled the September 11 attacks, as well as the War on Terror. He was an early proponent of invading Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had a weapons of mass destruction program and worked with Al-Qaeda; however, there was not enough evidence to prove this true. He also forced the intelligence community to give intelligence that aligned with the administration's reasons for invading Iraq.

Cheney was often criticized for the Bush administration's policies regarding the campaign against terrorism, for his support of wiretapping by the National Security Agency (NSA) and for his endorsement of "enhanced interrogation techniques" which some critics have said it is torture.[3][4][5] He publicly disagreed with President Bush's position against same-sex marriage in 2004,[6] but also said it is "appropriately a matter for the states to decide".[7]

ended his tenure as an unpopular figure in American politics with an approval rating of 13 percent.[8] His peak approval rating in the wake of the September 11 attacks was 68 percent.[9]

Cheney is said to be the most powerful vice president in American history.[10][11]

  1. Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President, p. 11
  2. "Richard B. Cheney – George H. W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  3. "Prewar Iraq Intelligence: A Look at the Facts". NPR.org. NPR. November 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  4. "Cheney Pushed U.S. to Widen Eavesdropping". The New York Times. May 14, 2006. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  5. "Cheney offended by Amnesty criticism Rights group accuses U.S. of violations at Guantanamo Bay". CNN. May 21, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  6. "Cheney at odds with Bush on gay marriage – politics". NBC News. 2004-08-25. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  7. Kaufman, Marc and Allen, Mike. “Cheney splits with Bush on gay marriage ban”, Washington Post via Boston Globe (25 Aug 2004).
  8. "Little Change in Negative Images of Bush and Cheney" Archived November 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Gallup
  9. Cite error: The named reference cheney gallup approval was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  10. "Cheney: A VP With Unprecedented Power". NPR.org. January 15, 2009. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  11. Reynolds, Paul (October 29, 2006). "The most powerful vice-president ever?". United Kingdom: BBC News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2013.