Dick Cheney loss of life newest: George W Bush’s influential vp and architect of the ‘War on Terror’ dies aged 84 | EUROtoday

Vice presidents are chosen for a lot of causes, observes Rupert Cornwall in his appreciation of Cheney’s profession.

They might steadiness the ticket, serving to the highest man in a area or a bit of the citizens the place he’s not robust, simply as Lyndon Johnson helped John Kennedy in 1960 to win his house state of Texas (and with it the White House).

Or they might reinforce a candidate’s enchantment, simply as Al Gore underlined Bill Clinton’s message of youth, power and new concepts in 1992.

In 2000, Dick Cheney fitted neither mannequin. His house state of Wyoming was a negligible electoral prize, whereas in distinction to George W Bush’s guarantees of change, he appeared the incarnation of everlasting, bureaucratic Washington — a lot in order that some feared he would lose, not win, votes for his boss.

Yet, from this unpromising begin, he turned himself into essentially the most influential vp in fashionable U.S. historical past, remodeling a job as soon as famously described as “not worth a bucket of warm spit” right into a U.S. model of the workplace of prime minister, subordinate to, however virtually co-equal of, the presidency itself.

Cheney handed away on Monday, in accordance with his household.

He had been affected by pneumonia in addition to cardiac and vascular illness.

“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,” the household stated.

“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.”

Paul Farrell and Owen Scott have the story.

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on the loss of life of Dick Cheney, George W Bush’s highly effective vp from 2001 to 2009 and the architect of the “War in Terror” in response to the 9/11 terror assaults.