Dick Cheney

{{Officeholder |name=Richard "Dick" Cheney |image=408px-Richard Cheney 2005 official portrait.jpg |party=[[Republican]] |spouse=[[Lynne Cheney]] |religion=[[Methodist]] |offices= {{Officeholder/vice president |country=the United States |number=46th |terms=January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009 |president=[[George W. Bush]] |preceded=[[Al Gore]] |former=y |succeeded=[[Joe Biden]] }} {{Officeholder/representative |state=Wyoming |district=At-large |terms=January 3, 1979 – March 20, 1989 |preceded=Teno Roncalio |former=y |succeeded=Craig L. Thomas }} {{Officeholder/secretary (cabinet) |of=Defense |number=17th |deputy=n |president=[[George H. W. Bush]] |terms=March 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 |preceded=Frank Carlucci |former=y |succeeded=Les Aspin }} }} '''Richard B. Cheney''' served as the 46th Vice President of the United States, 2001-2009. He was elected as a Republican in 2000 with President [[George W. Bush]]. Cheney was re-elected along with President Bush in 2004. Cheney is best known for his strong conservatism, and his promotion of the powers of the presidency, especially in foreign affairs. == Life and Family == Richard 'Dick' Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. After dropping out of Yale College, he took a BA and an MA in Political Science from the University of Wyoming. He did graduate work in political science at the University of Wisconsin, where in 1964 he met [[Lynne Cheney]], who was finishing her PhD in literature. They have two daughters; Elizabeth and Mary. == Political Career == Cheney assumed his first political post as an assistant to [[Wisconsin]] Governor Warren P. Knowles in the early 1960s, at the age of 28 when he became an intern near the beginning of the [[Nixon]] Administration. He quickly came to the attention of [[Donald Rumsfeld]], then directing the Office of Economic Opportunity, and was promoted to a paid position in 1971. When [[Watergate]] forced Nixon's resignation in 1973, Cheney became vice president of an investment firm for a year, but Rumsfeld convinced [[Gerald Ford]] upon the latter's accession to the presidency that Cheney was indispensable, and he was recalled to public service. Eventually Cheney replaced Rumsfeld as [[Chief of staff|Chief of Staff]] to Ford as Rumsfeld was promoted to [[Secretary of Defense]]. In 1978-88, Cheney served in Congress from Wyoming, becoming the Republican Whip (the #2 job). Cheney served as Secretary of Defense for President [[George H. W. Bush]] in the late 1980s. In the 1990s Cheney worked for the big oil-supply company Halliburton, becoming CEO in 1995. After he left the company with a retirement package of $33 million (which went into a blind trust which Cheney does not control), leftist critics alleged that he twisted American foreign policy for the benefit of Halliburton. However there is little or no evidence to backup such claims. [[Image:Cheney3.jpg‎|left|thumb|200px|Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Mrs. Lynne Cheney welcomed their fifth grandchild, 2006]] ==Hunter== On February 11, 2006, Mr. Cheney accidentally<ref>Bash, Dana. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/12/cheney/ Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter]. February 12, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''</ref> shot a hunting partner, Mr. Harry Whittington, in the face with [[Shotgun|birdshot]] while the pair were hunting Quail in [[Corpus Christi]], [[Texas]]. Mr. Whittington suffered a minor heart attack due to the incident,<ref>Lavandera, Ed. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/17/cheney/ Man shot by Cheney: 'Accidents do and will happen'] February 20, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''</ref> and Cheney accepted full responsibility for the incident.<ref>Dana Bash, Suzanne Malveaux, Tim McCaughan. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/15/cheney/ Cheney: 'One of the worst days of my life']. February 16, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''</ref> The incident was, according to all involved, an accident.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11409731/ Harry Whittington's hospital statement]. February 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''MSNBC''</ref> == Health Issues == A survivor of several heart attacks, Cheney's health was too precarious to run for president. In March 2007 he had surgery to remove a blood clot in his leg, the result of extended periods of sitting while airborne. ==Gay Marriage== On June 1, 2009, Cheney spoke out in favor of gay marriage at the National Press Club.<ref>http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/cheney-reasserts-stance-on-gay-marriages/?scp=1&sq=cheney%20gay%20marriage&st=cse</ref> ==Quotes== * "It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=MRalq4bgd60C&pg=PA15&dq=It+is+easy+to+take+liberty+for+granted,+when+you+have+never+had+it+taken+from+you&ei=XBMWSu7AKJaQyAS2i-z9CQ He Kept the Colors: The True Story of the General, the Old Man and the Flag‎ - Page 15] L.E. Johnson</ref> ==Further reading== * Hayes, Stephen F. ''Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President'' (2007) by a conservative journalist. [http://www.amazon.com/Cheney-Americas-Powerful-Controversial-President/dp/B001AQVTJE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253687382&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search] ==See Also== [[Previous Breaking News/Dick Cheney|Articles about '''Dick Cheney''' from previous "Breaking News"]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.facebook.com/dickcheney Facebook account] {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheney, Dick}} [[Category:Republican Party]] {{USVicePresidents}} [[Category:Reagan Era]] [[Category:Neoconservative]] [[Category:The 100 Americans The Left Hates Most]]