Dick Cheney, Former Vice President and Architect of Post-9/11 War Policy, Dead at 84

Dick Cheney, the powerful former vice president who shaped U.S. foreign policy after the September 11 attacks and spent decades in Republican politics, died Monday at age 84 due to complications from pneumonia and heart disease.

A dominant force in Washington for over four decades, Cheney served as vice president under George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, and White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford. The Wyoming native also represented his state in Congress for ten years.

“Dick Cheney was a great and good man,” his family said in a statement. “We are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

Cheney passed away surrounded by family. He had long battled heart problems, surviving five heart attacks and undergoing a transplant in 2012.

He played a decisive role in steering the U.S. into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Even as public opinion turned against the Iraq War, Cheney never backed down.

“It was the right thing to do then. I believed in it then, and I believe it now,” he told CNN in 2015. “No apologies.”

Earlier in his career, Cheney helped oversee Operation Desert Storm, the U.S.-led military campaign to liberate Kuwait in 1991. That success bolstered his credentials and reputation among defense hawks, eventually leading to his selection as Bush’s running mate in the razor-thin 2000 election.

But Cheney’s legacy was later clouded by growing criticism over the Iraq War and his support for controversial intelligence programs and wartime surveillance.

In his later years, Cheney became one of the most outspoken critics of Donald Trump, backing his daughter Liz Cheney’s war against Trump-aligned Republicans. He said in 2022 that “there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”

Cheney’s feud with Trump deepened in the 2024 cycle, when he announced support for then-Vice President Kamala Harris — a move that further alienated him from the GOP base.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lynne, and daughters Liz and Mary.

Despite his critics, Cheney remained unapologetic and fiercely proud of his service.

“You wake up every morning with a smile on your face,” he said after his heart transplant, “because you’ve got a new day you never expected to have.”