Richard Bruce Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th Vice President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009, alongside George W. Bush as President. He is considered to be the most powerful vice president in American history, to the point where historians today (catching up to some non-academic commentators in his own time) generally cast him as being the true leader of the administration during the 2000s (with Bush simply being a figurehead), but is also one of the most unpopular politicians in U.S. history, holding 13% at the time he left office.note Before he was VP, Cheney worked directly for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (including as the latter's chief of staff from 1975 to 1977), represented Wyoming in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989, and was secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.
Controversial is the mildest way anyone can describe him. One of his biggest controversies was the infamous hunting accident where he accidentally shot a friend, Harry Whittington, when they were quail hunting. The situation resulted in numerous jokes and satire, including from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Most of the reasons why Cheney's vice presidency is considered to have been extraordinarily powerful stem from him having played a leading behind-the-scenes role in the Bush administration's response to the September 11 attacks and coordination of The War on Terror. He was an early proponent of invading Iraq, alleging that the regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (only for, infamously enough, no active WMDs to be found in Iraq) and pressuring the intelligence community to provide intelligence consistent with the administration's rationales for invading Iraq. Cheney was also often criticized for the Bush administration's policies regarding the campaign against terrorism, and for his support of wiretapping by the National Security Agency (NSA) and of torture.
He is also well known for having a history of heart problems, which prompted questions about his fitness for office when he was running with Bush. Ironically, he is only one of three vice presidents so far to have served as acting president under the terms of the 25th Amendment, on June 29, 2002 and on July 21, 2007, each for a couple of hours, while Bush underwent colonoscopies while under sedation.note Cheney also holds the unique distinction of being the only (future, incumbent, or former) post–Cold War era Vice President to have never ran for President of the United States. note In addition to that, he and Spiro Agnew are the only post-World War II Vice Presidents so far to have never ran for President.
He is married to Lynne Vincent and they have two daughters, Liz and Mary. The fact that Mary is lesbian became a source of public attention for Cheney during his vice presidency in light of the same-sex marriage debate, as Cheney stated that he was in favor of it personally (while adding that each individual U.S. state should decide whether to permit it or not), putting him at odds with President Bush's opposition to it.
Books he has written
- Exceptional Why The World Needs A Powerful America with Liz Cheney
- Heart An American Medical Odyssey with Jonathan Reiner
- In My Time A Personal And Political Memoir with Elizabeth Cheney
- Kings Of The Hill Power And Personality In The House Of Representatives with Lynne Cheney
- Professional Military Education An Asset For Peace And Progess with Bill Taylor
Media
Film- Vice (2018): Christian Bale portrays him as the movie goes through Cheney's life and his rise to power.
- W.: Richard Dreyfuss plays him alongside Josh Brolin as George W. Bush.
- In the mockumentary Death of a President, Cheney ascends to the presidency in 2007 after George W. Bush is assassinated.
Literature
- Mentioned in Axiom's End, set in 2007. Cheney ascends to the Presidency after Bush's resignation.
Live-Action Television
- Saturday Night Live: Darrell Hammond played him numerous times during the Bush Administration.
