Crocodile

Cold, patient, and lethal — strikes only when perfectly positioned.

Dick Cheney is the archetypal crocodile: he operated almost entirely in the shadows, accumulating power with glacial patience and striking with devastating precision when the moment was right. As Vice President, he was famously described as the most powerful VP in U.S. history, engineering wars and policy from behind the scenes with minimal public emotion or remorse. His orchestration of post-9/11 policy, his undisclosed locations, and his near-robotic affect in the face of scandal — including the infamous hunting accident — all point to a cold, calculating survivalist who never wastes a move.