Today's News: Former Vice President Dick Cheney Dies at 84

Remembered as one of the most powerful vice presidents in American history, Cheney was a key architect of the “war on terror” and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Terrence Dorsey

Nov 04, 2025

Photo: Mark Wilson

Date: November 4, 2025
Summary: Dick Cheney, the former Vice President under George W. Bush, has died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. Remembered as one of the most powerful vice presidents in American history, Cheney was a key architect of the “war on terror” and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, advocating for aggressive policies based on what later proved to be faulty intelligence. Despite his staunch conservative background, he became a vocal critic of Donald Trump in his final years, endorsing and voting for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. His life was marked by a long and influential career in Washington, significant health challenges, and a controversial legacy that continues to be debated.

Sources

Key Points

Dick Cheney died at the age of 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
He served as Vice President under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, widely regarded as the most powerful modern vice president.
He was a central figure in shaping the “war on terror” and was a leading advocate for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Cheney fiercely defended controversial policies such as warrantless surveillance, indefinite detention, and “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
His family’s statement described him as 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.”
In his later years, Cheney became a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, calling him a “coward” and a significant threat to American democracy.
He publicly announced his intention to vote for and endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Cheney had a long history of heart problems, including multiple heart attacks, and underwent a heart transplant in 2012.
His extensive career included serving as Defense Secretary under President George H.W. Bush, where he oversaw the Persian Gulf War, and as White House Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford.
His daughter, Liz Cheney, also became a vocal critic of Donald Trump, leading to her loss of a House seat.
He was often referred to by critics as “Darth Vader” and remained unapologetic about his policy decisions throughout his life.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times details Cheney’s specific health issues, including five heart attacks from 1978 to 2010 and wearing a heart-regulating device since 2001. It notes his announcement to vote for Kamala Harris “startled Americans of both parties”. It describes him as a “singular figure: more powerful and less ambitious for higher office than any vice president in modern times.”
The article provides extensive detail on the USA Patriot Act’s expansion of government powers, the estimated $2 trillion cost of the Iraq War, and the impact of the 2006 midterm elections on his administration. It also elaborates on the Valerie Plame Wilson case, I. Lewis Libby Jr.’s indictment, and the resulting rift between Cheney and George W. Bush, including Bush’s quote about Cheney’s heated reaction to the refusal of a pardon.
The article includes details on his early life, such as flunking out of Yale twice, two arrests for drunken driving, and his never serving in the military due to five deferments.
CNN highlights George W. Bush’s statement calling Cheney a “decent, honorable man” and “among the finest public servants of his generation.” It includes Cheney’s description of Donald Trump as a “coward.”
The article mentions Cheney’s order to authorize the shooting down of hijacked airliners on 9/11 and notes his 31% approval rating upon leaving office, according to the Pew Research Center. It quotes Cheney saying, “I would do it again in a minute” regarding enhanced interrogation methods and, in 2015, “It was the right thing to do then. I believed it then and I believe it now” about the Iraq War.
NBC News cites former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel’s 2005 warning that the Iraq War was reminiscent of Vietnam and quotes Cheney’s justification for “enhanced interrogation”: “Torture is what the al Qaeda terrorists did to 3,000 Americans on 9/11.” The article notes that then-Representative Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat from Ohio, unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Cheney over the Iraq War and mentions Donald Trump’s response to Cheney’s Kamala Harris endorsement, calling him an “irrelevant RINO.”
The Washington Post quotes journalist James Mann from “Rise of the Vulcans” on the “surpassing importance” of Cheney’s selection as Vice President for foreign policy. The article notes that Cheney’s “low-key and laconic manner” in his early career gave a misleading impression of moderation and details his role as a “most aggressive defender” of President Ronald Reagan during the Iran-Contra scandal committee.
BBC includes tributes from Condoleezza Rice, who admired Cheney for his “integrity and his love of our country,” and former President Bill Clinton, who “always respected his dedication to our country.”
The article features strong criticisms from an Iraqi writer, Sinan Antoon, who said Cheney’s legacy in Iraq is “chaos and terrorism” and that “In a different world Dick Cheney would definitely be a war criminal.” US Army veteran Kristofer Goldsmith also states that “most people recognise Dick Cheney as someone who created a massive problem that ended up in hundreds of thousands of deaths.”
El País explicitly labels the Iraq invasion as “illegal” in its headline and refers to Cheney as “the hawk of hawks.” It states that the press “did not seriously question” the WMD accusations “until well into the invasion” and mentions John Bolton as part of the group of hawks. The article notes that the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the UN Special Rapporteur condemned “enhanced” interrogation techniques as “torture” and suggests that Donald Trump “relegated [the neoconservative era] to the dustbin of history.”
It also highlights Cheney’s more moderate positions on social issues, such as same-sex marriage, which put him at odds with the Bush administration.

Contrasting Details

Characterization of Iraq War Justification and Outcome: While all articles agree that the Iraq War was based on faulty intelligence regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and alleged Al Qaeda links, El País goes further than other sources, explicitly calling the invasion “illegal” in its headline and describing it as “catastrophic.” Other sources, such as The New York Times and CNN, use terms like “enormous intelligence failure” and “ill-fated war on faulty assumptions,” but do not use the term “illegal.” The New York Times and BBC specify that no WMDs were found, and independent panels discovered no evidence of collaboration between Iraq and Al Qaeda.
Extent of Cheney’s Influence in the White House: There is a nuanced difference in how articles describe Cheney’s power. The Washington Post states he “elevated the role of vice president to a power it had never held before — and probably never will again,” and BBC claims he “singlehandedly turned his role… into a de-facto deputy presidency.” The New York Times notes that “many Democrats and even some fellow Republicans wondered if Mr. Cheney might be the real power,” though it also acknowledges that “Mr. Bush eventually asserted his authority and Mr. Cheney’s influence declined by the second term.” In contrast, CNN explicitly pushes back on the “caricatures of Cheney as the real president,” stating that such perceptions “do not accurately capture the true dynamics of Bush’s inner circle” and that “Bush was his own self-styled ‘The Decider.’”
Legality and Morality of Counter-Terrorism Policies: All articles acknowledge Cheney’s advocacy for “enhanced interrogation techniques,” warrantless surveillance, and indefinite detention. However, El País specifically cites the “US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the UN Special Rapporteur” as condemning these techniques as “torture.” The BBC includes direct quotes from an Iraqi writer and a US Army veteran who label Cheney a “war criminal” and hold him responsible for “hundreds of thousands of deaths.” While The New York Times mentions methods “skirted bans on torture” and “civil libertarians warned” about surveillance, and CNN notes critics “blasted [interrogations] as torture,” these sources generally present the criticisms as external views rather than making definitive legal or moral judgments within their own reporting, as El País does with its “illegal invasion” headline.

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