Dubya's Darth Vader

War on terror architect dies aged 84

- BY CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

DICK Cheney, who has died aged 84, was the most powerful and perhaps most feared vice president in US history.

Known as the "architect of the war on terror" and champion of torture in all but name, he revelled in his Darth Vader nickname.

He was the driving force in convincing Britain to support the post-9/11 Iraq war.

For much of his career, Cheney was content to lurk in the shadows rather than seek the spotlight. His power came from the corridors, not the crowds.

While George W Bush was the public face of the White House, Cheney was the hidden hand on the tiller - calm, ruthless and utterly convinced he was right. "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole?" he once joked.

In later years, he was largely ostracised by his own party for denouncing Donald Trump as a "coward" and the greatest ever threat to the republic. He even backed Democrat Kamala Harris in last year's US election.

His family described him as "a great and good man" who taught his children and grandchildren to love their country, and to "live lives of courage, honour, love, kindness, and fly fishing".