Former Vice President, Dick Cheney, Dies at 84 – Architect Of The Iraq War Who Had A Few Breakthrough Moments
The former Republican VP leaves a dark and polarizing legacy, but notably supported his lesbian daughter, marriage equality, and voted for Kamala Harris over Trump.
Featured Image: Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
On Monday, Nov. 3, Dick Cheney – the former Vice President under George W. Bush, who served as advisor during an era of terrorism and war – died of complications from pneumonia, and cardiac and vascular disease. A lifelong conservative Republican with a legacy that many would describe as dark and polarizing, he is also remembered for a few breakthrough moments. In the final years, he stepped up to declare Donald J. Trump unfit for office, and breaking party lines, voted for Kamala Harris.
Cheney also supported his openly lesbian daughter, Mary Cheney. He also supported same-sex marriage during a time when George W. Bush favored a constitutional amendment to ban it, though Cheney stated that decisions should be made by the states. Addressing the topic at a 2004 campaign rally with his daughter in attendance, he said: “Freedom means freedom for everyone… people ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.”
When Mary Cheney married her partner Heather Poe in 2012, Dick Cheney and his wife issued a statement: “Our daughter Mary and her long time partner, Heather Poe, were married today in Washington, DC. Mary and Heather have been in a committed relationship for many years, and we are delighted that they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to have that relationship recognized.”
“Mary and Heather and their children are very important and much loved members of our family and we wish them every happiness,” Cheney said. The couple have two children, and met playing hockey in college.
Mary Cheney and Dick Cheney, Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
Cheney’s resume includes his role as Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, 10 years of service in the House of Representatives, and he was Defense Secretary from 1989 – 1993. He served two terms as Vice President under George W. Bush. During the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Cheney took charge from a bunker as Bush was in Florida visiting a school. One month later, Cheney steered the U.S. toward the invasion of Afghanistan with the goal of toppling the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization behind 9/11.
He also drove the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, based on claims, since proven untrue, that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and had ties to al-Qaeda. While Iraq was not responsible for 9/11 (the hijackers were mostly from Saudi Arabia), the climate of fear and trauma in our country at the time facilitated a collective disconnect about this detail, and acceptance of what Bush broadly dubbed the “global war on terror.” The Iraq War (2003 – 2011) – though it did bring down Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein – is widely considered a foreign policy disaster. It led to destabilization in the Middle East; the rise of extreme groups like ISIS; and took a huge toll on human life including thousands of U.S. casualties and millions of displaced Iraqis. As for taking down al-Qaeda’s leader, Cheney encouraged Bush to hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, with a successful outcome in 2011.
Cheney’s policies were viewed by many as aggressive, even morally reprehensible. These included the USA Patriot Act, which expanded government surveillance, i.e. spying on citizens and wiretaps without warrants; indefinite detention (Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba); and “enhanced interrogation techniques” that constituted torture, such as simulated drownings/waterboarding.
A former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Halliburton, he kept an ongoing financial stake in the oil behemoth, shaped policy to expand fossil fuel use and downplayed climate change during the window of opportunity humanity had to avert the most catastrophic impacts of the climate emergency, now plaguing planet Earth.
In addition to Mary, Dick Cheney leaves behind his wife, Lynne, and daughter Liz Cheney, a political powerhouse in her own right. The former Republican representative from Wyoming bravely stood up to Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. As a result, she was robbed of her seat in the House by Republicans who retaliated against her. Like her father in his later years, when push came to shove, she put an eye toward preserving democracy; ultimately she chose to put country above party and voted to impeach Trump.
Yesterday, while some influential Republicans paid Cheney tribute, others were silent, including the the 47th President of the United States. White House flags were lowered to half-staff.
