re: money and cronies.
Cheney is out of office. He has no power except his speeches. This is how much money he's worth. If you click on "assets" you can get the details.
Here's Ted Kennedy, who holds a powerful position in the Senate. Here's Speaker of the House Pelosi, the most powerful person in Congress.
If you look at this 2007 chart, there are 15 people richer than Cheney in politics. Ten of those are Democrats, and at least two of the Republicans aren't in office any more.