Dick Cheney, a figure in American politics and a principal advocate of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, has passed at the age of 84. His family announced that he passed away Monday night from complications of pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.
A Republican stalwart, Cheney served as a Wyoming congressman and later as secretary of defence under President George H.W. Bush before becoming vice-president in George W. Bush’s administration from 2001 to 2009. Known for his focus on strengthening presidential authority, he sought to restore powers he believed had weakened since the Watergate era. Cheney also expanded the influence of the vice-presidency, building a national security team that became a significant policy force within the administration.
He was a leading proponent of the Iraq invasion, asserting that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found, but Cheney maintained that the decision to go to war was justified based on the intelligence available at the time. His support for controversial interrogation methods, including waterboarding, drew criticism from human rights groups and some members of Congress, though he defended them as necessary for national security.
Cheney’s earlier experience as defence secretary included directing U.S. operations during the 1991 Gulf War, which successfully drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. At that time, he opposed extending the conflict into Iraq, warning it could lead to instability.
Before returning to government, Cheney served as chief executive of Halliburton, an oil services company that later secured extensive contracts during the Iraq War—an association that fueled criticism from his political opponents.
Born January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney was raised in Wyoming and briefly attended Yale University. He endured lifelong heart problems, suffering multiple heart attacks and undergoing a heart transplant in 2012.
His daughter, Liz Cheney, served in the U.S. House of Representatives and became a leading Republican critic of Donald Trump, a stance her father publicly supported in later years.
