By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honour, love, kindness, and fly fishing," they add - read their statement in full Cheney served as President Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff in the 1970s, and spent a decade in the House of Representatives, before becoming defence secretary in 1989.

As vice-president, he was a key architect of the "war on terror" after the 9/11 attacks, and an early advocate of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Cheney later became a bitter critic of the Republican Party under President Donald Trump, and will also be remembered for accidentally shooting a friend during a 2006 hunting trip.

Cheney was a long-standing advocate of Nato expansion into Eastern Europe - notably backing Ukraine’s bid for membership in 2008.

"We believe in the right of men and women to live without the threat of tyranny, economic blackmail or military invasion or intimidation," Vice-President Cheney said in Kyiv at the time, external.

He believed that NATO had to remain the foundation of European security relationships.  It’s a contrasting position to the Trump administration, which has refused to endorse Ukraine’s admission - effectively blocking its entry to the defence bloc. 

While Trump has more recently strengthened his support of NATO, he sowed doubt over America’s long-term commitment during his 2024 election campaign - including by suggesting the US would not protect Nato allies failing to spend enough on defence.  His comments led Liz Cheney to attack him: "No sane American President would encourage Putin to attack our Nato allies."

 

 

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