‘A loss to the nation’

Former President George W. Bush praised his vice president, Dick Cheney, as “a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges” after Cheney’s death at the age of 84 Monday.

“The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends,” the 43rd president began a lengthy statement Tuesday morning. “Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. 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.”

Cheney, who repped his home state of Wyoming in Congress for more than a decade and served Bush’s father as secretary of defense during the Persian Gulf War, was picked by the younger Bush to be his running mate during his successful 2000 campaign for the presidency — despite previously insisting that he had no interest in the job.

“I asked him to join my ticket in 2000 after first enlisting him to help me find the best running mate,” the former president said. “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. I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed.

“Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges,” Bush continued. “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. For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved.

“Dick’s love for America was second only to his family.  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.”