Vice

The youths don’t know, but for many years, Dick Cheney was considered to be one of the most evil men in American politics. A die-hard Republican who loathed civil rights, human rights, the Geneva Convention and Democrats writ large, Cheney served as Vice President of the United States from January 2001 to January 2009. George W. Bush appointed Cheney to vet potential VP candidates in early 2000, and Cheney ended up choosing himself to act as Bush’s right-hand man. Back in the day, we called him Darth Cheney, Lord Vader, the Prince of Darkness, etc. There were always jokes about how the man was half machine because he had so many heart operations and cardiac episodes. Well, sixteen years after Cheney left office, he has now passed away.

Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at age 84.

Cheney died Monday night due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said in a statement.

“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the statement said. “Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

The quietly forceful Cheney served father and son presidents, leading the armed forces as defense chief during the Persian Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush before returning to public life as vice president under Bush’s son George W. Bush.

Cheney was, in effect, the chief operating officer of the younger Bush’s presidency. He had a hand, often a commanding one, in implementing decisions most important to the president and some of surpassing interest to himself — all while living with decades of heart disease and, post-administration, a heart transplant. Cheney consistently defended the extraordinary tools of surveillance, detention and inquisition employed in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

[From The Associated Press]

Since he’s gone now, I’ll say two “nice” things about Dick Cheney. One, I had admiration for the fact that he did not leave his post in the Situation Room on September 11, 2001. While Bush was taken to various secure locations around the country, and no one knew if another plane would hit the White House, Cheney manned his post and refused to be taken to safety by the Secret Service in the middle of the worst terrorist attack our nation ever faced. Two, while Cheney was definitely part of the blueprint for the current catastrophe of MAGA Republicianism, Cheney was actually f–king appalled by Trump and he said so publicly. Our thoughts are with his family, especially his daughter Liz, who also stood up to Trump.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.