Like He Owned the Place

“Dick Cheney, widely regarded as the most powerful vice president in American history, who was George W. Bush’s running mate in two successful campaigns for the presidency and his most influential White House adviser in an era of terrorism, war and economic change, died Monday. He was 84.” Dick Cheney, Powerful Vice President and Washington Insider, Dies at 84. Cheney’s contentious time in office has long been debated. Perhaps what’s most notable at this particular moment in American history is that the last political act of the guy who was once the most powerful person in the GOP was to announce that he was voting for Kamala Harris because “we have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution.” And almost no officials in his party listened.

+ The Times: “Cheney was revered by hardline Republicans, but loathed by more moderate Americans. A taciturn, secretive man with a crooked and enigmatic half-grin, he came to be seen as a somewhat sinister éminence grise, a powerful but malign influence on the president. He left office with the lowest approval ratings of any modern vice-president. Yet Cheney was unabashed. He cared nothing about popularity, only about history’s verdict. He left office with no regrets about the course he had taken, even though Iraq was in turmoil, America’s economy and international standing were in dire shape, and the so-called War on Terror had succeeded only in making the world seem less secure.” Dick Cheney obituary: powerful and controversial US vice-president.