Former US vice president Dick Cheney, ‘among finest public servants of his generation,’ dies at 84
The Israeli president called Cheney "a great friend and steadfast supporter of the State of Israel."
JNS
Nov 4, 2025
Dick Cheney, who served as vice president from 2001 to 2009 in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and as defense secretary from 1989 to 1993 under the latter’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, died on Monday, his family said. He was 84 years old.
“The death of Richard B. Cheney is 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,” the younger Bush stated. “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.”
Bush added that Cheney was “a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges.”
“I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people,” the former president stated. “For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved.”
Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, stated that he had “heard with great sorrow” of Cheney’s passing and that the former vice president was “a great friend and steadfast supporter of the State of Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that it mourns the passing of Cheney, “a steadfast friend of Israel and a true champion of the U.S.–Israel alliance,” and Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador in Washington, said that Cheney was “a great American patriot, a devoted public servant and a dear friend of Israel,” whose “leadership and his belief in the strength of the U.S.–Israel alliance will not be forgotten.”
AIPAC said that Cheney “was a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel partnership,” who “worked to strengthen the ties between the two democracies” in the White House, Pentagon and as a member of Congress.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) stated that Cheney, who was born in Lincoln, Neb., and grew up in Casper, Wyo., “dedicated his life to the service of our nation and the people of Wyoming.”
“He was a constant champion for a dominant military, strong and confident American leadership, free markets and individual liberty,” Cotton said.
Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on April 24, 2013.
‘Solid, enduring and unshakeable’
The leaders of the Republican Jewish Coalition stated that in Cheney’s long public service career, he “never wavered from his core principles” and was “devoted to this country, and he bent all his efforts toward keeping our nation strong, secure and free.”
“Vice President Cheney had a substantial role in meeting the greatest challenges our country faced in the last 40 years, including 9/11,” the RJC said. “He understood the threats against the United States and the valuable role of U.S. allies, including Israel, in combating them.”
It added that it will remember Cheney as “an American patriot and an unwavering friend of Israel and the Jewish community.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stated that Cheney was “unashamedly aggressive against the forces who meant harm to the United States.”
“He had a unique ability to handle criticism from all corners of the political spectrum. This is best explained by his tremendous sense of confidence in who he was and what he believed,” Graham said. “When that self-confidence clashed with members of both parties, he was unshaken.”
Cheney played a pivotal role in post-9/11 U.S. policy and the Iraq war and was considered a staunch supporter of Israel. Speaking to AIPAC in 2006, he said that America and Israel are “fellow democracies, both founded in struggle.”
“We have shown our devotion to the ideals of liberty, equality and the dignity of every person. We have shown, as well, great resolve and deep faith in times of testing and a true willingness to work and sacrifice for the cause of peace,” he said. “We are, as President Bush has said, natural allies. There is no doubt that America’s commitment to Israel’s security is solid, enduring and unshakeable.”
Eric Edelman, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Finland, is a former national security aide to Cheney and a distinguished scholar at Jewish Institute for National Security of America. (In 1991, JINSA bestowed its Henry “Scoop” Jackson Award on Cheney.)
“Dick Cheney was a huge supporter of Israel who appreciated Israel’s contributions as a security partner of the United States,” he told JNS. “When he visited Israel after the first Gulf War, he gave David Ivry, who had been involved in planning the Osiraq raid, a photo inscribed ‘For Gen. David Ivry, with thanks and appreciation for the outstanding job he did on the Iraqi nuclear program in 1981, which made our job much easier in Desert Storm.'”
The lesson “stuck with him and informed his attitudes towards the use of military force against the al Kibar nuclear reactor in 2007 and the Iranian nuclear program,” Edelman told JNS.
Cheney is survived by his wife, Lynne; daughters Liz Cheney and Mary Cheney; and seven grandchildren.
1 comment:
Anybody who shoots lawyers is OK in my book.
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