RIP Dick Cheney
The 46th Vice-President of the United States has died, aged 84. He was arguably the most powerful Vice-President in the history of the United States. This was partially because he had no interest in becoming President. If you look at all elected former VPs, you have:
- Vance – will stand for President in 2028
- Harris – stood for President in 2024
- Pence – stood for President in 2024
- Biden – stood for President in 2020
- Gore – stood for President in 2000
- Quayle – wanted to stand in 1996, bad had bad health
- George HW Bush – stood for President in 1980 and 1988 and 1992
- Mondale – stood in 1984
- Agnew – disgraced
- Humphrey – stood in 1968
- LBJ – stood in 1964
- Nixon – stood in 1960, 68 and 72
- Truman – stood in 1948
His lack of ambition to be President is part of why Bush gave him so much authority. The rest was probably his background. He had been Chief of Staff to a President and Secretary of Defence to another.
He was probably more hated by the left than Bush. Many saw him as the power behind the throne. I used to joke that Bush was unlikely to be assassinated, because that would result in President Cheney.
He once joked he didn’t mind being called Darth Vader, as that was one of the nicer things Democrats called him.