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As only the most eager fans of paying taxes have filed their returns this early, nobody knows how much Bush and Cheney earned in 2005. But if recent history is any indication, Cheney will once again win the executive branch title of Mr. Moneybags. According to the Tax History Project, which collects presidential tax returns, Dick and Lynne Cheney (filing jointly) earned an adjusted gross income of $1,734,373 in 2004. George and Laura Bush logged an AGI of $784,219 that year, begging the embarrassing question: When
the foursome goes out to lunch, who picks up the tab? In 2003, the Bushes made $727,083, while the Cheneys earned $813,226. Bush's income comes from his presidential salary, interest, investments from various trusts, and royalties on his many books on existential motifs in postmodern literature. (Well, maybe not that last one.) The Cheneys are a two-earner household. The VP's income includes his salary and deferred compensation from Halliburton. Lynne Cheney's earnings come from compensation for her position at the American Enterprise Institute, her membership on the board of Readers Digest, and her book royalties. The Cheneys' best year, financially speaking, was 2000, when they earned $36,086,635 (that's eight figures, not including the cents), mostly from Cheney's Halliburton stock. The poor top-of-the-ticket Bushes made just $744,682 that year. Forbes estimates that relative to his time, George Washington was the richest president, followed by JFK and Andrew Jackson. George W. logs in at number 10 on this list.
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