Cheney's "ambition" was never directed toward actually holding the office of President. His "ambition" was far greater than that...far greater indeed.
Make note of how the WH players and some noted Republicans play down Cheney's expansion of the role of Vice-President. How they attempt to portray Cheney as humble and modest...and oh, so trustworthy in his lack of ambition.
This article is from March, 2001. Cheney's been running his own agenda out of the WH (and not just the WH) since day one.
However, nothing Cheney has done in any way mitigates Bush's guilt.
Cheney gains power by abandoning ambition"...the Bush administration takes shape, Dick Cheney already has emerged as the most influential vice president in American history, in part because of the paradox at the heart of his approach to the No. 2 job. He is able to command unprecedented power because he has abandoned ambition..."
"Never before has the vice president's reputation been so daunting that it threatened to create problems for the president's reputation, Light says. Friends say Cheney is sensitive to the perception, which he insists is unfair and inaccurate. He refuses to be interviewed for stories, including this one, about his role in the administration."
"They didn't know each other particularly well when Bush, with his father's urging, drafted Cheney to run the search for his running mate. Last summer, the two men were sitting on the back porch of Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, discussing the candidates Cheney was vetting, when Bush broached the idea of choosing the vetter.
Cheney later told friends that the Texas heat was so stifling that he said "yes" in hopes of getting off the porch into air conditioning."