Former President George W. Bush released a heartfelt statement following the death of his former Vice President, Richard B. Cheney, calling it “a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends.”
“Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was,” Bush said. “History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation – a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held.”
Reflecting on Cheney’s decades-long career in public service — from his early days as a White House aide and chief of staff, to Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President — Bush noted that Cheney “earned the confidence and high opinion of five presidents.”
Bush recounted how, during his 2000 presidential campaign, he initially asked Cheney to help him find a running mate. “In our long discussions about the qualities a vice president should have – deep experience, mature judgment, character, loyalty – I realized that Dick Cheney was the one I needed,” he said. “I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed.”
Describing his former Vice President as a “calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges,” Bush said he relied on Cheney’s “honest, forthright counsel,” and praised his unwavering dedication to the freedom and security of the American people.
“Dick’s love for America was second only to his family,” Bush added. “Laura and I have shared our deepest sympathies with Vice President Cheney’s wife Lynne and their daughters and grandchildren of whom he was so deeply proud. We are praying for Lynne, Liz, Mary, and the Cheney family as they honor a great man.”
