WASHINGTON —

Former President George W. Bush called Former Vice President Dick Cheney's death a "loss to the nation" and said he and former first lady Laura Bush will remember Cheney "for the decent, honorable man that he was."

In a statement , Bush said history will remember his vice president "as among the finest public servants of his generation" and a "patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence and seriousness of purpose" to every position he held.

Bush recalled asking Cheney to join him on the Republican presidential ticket in 2000 after first assigning Cheney to help him find a 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 Che

See Full Page