Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President and Key Iraq War Architect, Dies at 84. Dick Cheney, America’s most powerful modern vice president and the chief strategist of the “war on terror,” has died at the age of 84, his family confirmed. He served under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, shaping U.S. foreign policy after 9/11 and playing a pivotal role in launching the Iraq War. Cheney was a towering but divisive figure — praised for his influence and criticized for endorsing controversial tactics like waterboarding and secret detentions. A former Wyoming congressman and defense secretary, he rose from Capitol insider to one of Washington’s most feared and influential power brokers. His push for regime change in Iraq, based on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, became one of the most disputed decisions in modern U.S. history. Despite criticism, Cheney never expressed regret, insisting his actions protected the nation: “I would do it again in a minute,” he said in 2014. In later years, he turned against Donald Trump, calling him a “coward” and voting for Kamala Harris in 2024 — a final rebuke to his own party’s direction. Cheney’s career spanned five decades, from serving under Nixon and Ford to leading the Pentagon during the Gulf War and later as CEO of Halliburton. He battled heart disease for most of his life, receiving a heart transplant in 2012, which he described as “the gift of life itself.” To supporters, Cheney was a patriot and master strategist; to critics, a symbol of unchecked power. Few figures left a deeper mark on post-9/11 America. [Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT]