Dick Cheney, America’s most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the “war on terror,” has died at the age of 84. From the oil fields of Wyoming to the Situation Room in Washington, Cheney’s life traced the contours of American power — its reach, its ambition, and its cost.br br As Secretary of Defense during the Gulf War and later as Vice President under George W. Bush, Cheney shaped U.S. policy after 911, driving the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, expanding executive authority, and redefining the meaning of national security.br br His legacy remains one of the most divisive in modern history — hailed by some as a defender of America, condemned by others as the architect of endless wars. This is the story of the man who changed how power works in Washington — and how America wages war.