Dick Cheney - The United States' 46th Vice President | Mini Bio | Biography

Dick Cheney served four Republican presidents, and he served six terms in the House. As George Bush's vice president, he was described, oftentimes, as the most powerful vice president in the history of America. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30th, 1941, Dick Cheney earned a master's in political science in 1966 from the University of Wyoming. During the span of 10 years, Cheney moved up the political ladder. He was just 35 years old when he became the White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, and then he later served as Defense Secretary under Ronald Reagan. So by the time he became vice president, he was highly skilled with 25 years' worth of maneuverings. Cheney was appointed Secretary of Defense in 1989 and directed the U.S. invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm. Then in 1991, Cheney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his leadership in the Gulf War. People who don't know a lot about politics, they know Dick Cheney as the old guy who shot his friend in the face during a hunting accident, but of course, he's much, much more than that. They don't understand that this is a very smart, influential, powerful man, and he certainly played a substantial role behind the scenes of the Bush administration. While working as the CEO of the energy company Halliburton, Cheney was chosen by George W. Bush to be his vice presidential running mate, and in 2000, the Bush-Cheney White House era began. Cheney becoming CEO of Halliburton was all about the nexus of power and money, using your political capital and relationships to win enormous government contracts, and then, of course, to still get a big check from Halliburton after you become vice president of the United States. I mean, it was in a different world than the rest of you guys in America. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Cheney advocated Bush's war on terror, but disagreed with the president and with the Republican Party on same-sex marriage, in which he showed support for his openly gay daughter, Mary. He cared much less whether he was popular than whether the policies he believed were right got pushed through. He was the single most important vice president in American history, bar none. During his time as vice president, Cheney actively promoted divisive policies, such as expanding presidential power, waterboarding techniques, and guidelines which favored business over environmental protection. Dick Cheney has often said that people see him as the Darth Vader of the Bush administration, and he's also said that he feels quite comfortable with that label. Dick Cheney, I feel, in many ways, sees himself as a, quote-unquote, necessary evil for the carrying out of the administration's work.