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Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30, 1941), is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States, making him President of the United States Senate as well. Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska but soon relocated to Casper, Wyoming where he grew up. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Ford administration where he served as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times, eventually becoming House Minority Whip. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, a position he held for much of Bush's term. In it, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among others. Cheney joined the presidential campaign for George W. Bush in 2000 and was selected to be Bush's running mate. Under Vice President Cheney, the office of the vice presidency has grown in size, as he remains a very public and controversial figure. Cheney continues to assert that the Iraq War and War on Terror must be won by the United States, and his confrontational manner has gained much approval and backlash. In the private sector, he is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton Company.
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