Former US Vice President Dick Cheney's Funeral Attracts Heavy Turnout Amid Controversy Over Iraq War Legacy
A somber ceremony held at Washington DC's National Cathedral brought together a bipartisan group of former presidents and officials to pay their respects to the late Cheney. The event saw the presence of notable figures such as Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Pence, but notably absent was Donald Trump himself.
Cheney's tenure under President George W Bush from 2001 to 2009 is widely regarded as a pivotal period in his career. His role in spearheading the invasion of Iraq has left a lasting impact on US foreign policy. Critics argue that Cheney's support for measures like torture, detention without due process, and domestic surveillance undermined human rights and destabilized the Middle East.
The Iraq War resulted in an estimated 940,000 direct deaths, including 432,000 civilians killed in combat. The conflict also led to widespread human rights abuses and a devastating impact on regional stability. Despite these criticisms, Cheney has largely defended his record as vice president, describing "enhanced interrogation tactics" like waterboarding as not torture.
Cheney's relationship with the Republican Party became increasingly strained over the past decade, particularly after he emerged as a vocal critic of President Trump. His daughter Liz Cheney served on a congressional committee investigating the US Capitol attack in 2021, which was largely driven by Trump supporters.
At his funeral, Liz Cheney delivered a heartfelt eulogy, hailing her father as "a lion of a man" who embodied "safety and love and laughter and kindness". She praised his commitment to serving the great republic. The somber memorial made little mention of the controversy surrounding the Iraq War, instead focusing on Cheney's legacy as a public servant.
The absence of Trump from the funeral was reportedly due to his uninvitation, alongside JD Vance. The event highlighted the complex and often contentious legacy of Dick Cheney, whose impact on US foreign policy continues to be debated by scholars and policymakers alike.
A somber ceremony held at Washington DC's National Cathedral brought together a bipartisan group of former presidents and officials to pay their respects to the late Cheney. The event saw the presence of notable figures such as Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Pence, but notably absent was Donald Trump himself.
Cheney's tenure under President George W Bush from 2001 to 2009 is widely regarded as a pivotal period in his career. His role in spearheading the invasion of Iraq has left a lasting impact on US foreign policy. Critics argue that Cheney's support for measures like torture, detention without due process, and domestic surveillance undermined human rights and destabilized the Middle East.
The Iraq War resulted in an estimated 940,000 direct deaths, including 432,000 civilians killed in combat. The conflict also led to widespread human rights abuses and a devastating impact on regional stability. Despite these criticisms, Cheney has largely defended his record as vice president, describing "enhanced interrogation tactics" like waterboarding as not torture.
Cheney's relationship with the Republican Party became increasingly strained over the past decade, particularly after he emerged as a vocal critic of President Trump. His daughter Liz Cheney served on a congressional committee investigating the US Capitol attack in 2021, which was largely driven by Trump supporters.
At his funeral, Liz Cheney delivered a heartfelt eulogy, hailing her father as "a lion of a man" who embodied "safety and love and laughter and kindness". She praised his commitment to serving the great republic. The somber memorial made little mention of the controversy surrounding the Iraq War, instead focusing on Cheney's legacy as a public servant.
The absence of Trump from the funeral was reportedly due to his uninvitation, alongside JD Vance. The event highlighted the complex and often contentious legacy of Dick Cheney, whose impact on US foreign policy continues to be debated by scholars and policymakers alike.
And can we pls talk about how the CIA under his watch basically enabled some of the worst human rights abuses in the world? 
The dude was a war profiteer at best, and it's lowkey disgusting that nobody mentioned the actual cost of his 'safety' rhetoric. 
At least his daughter gave a eulogy, but still... can't we just acknowledge the elephant in the room? 
. but omg the controversy surrounding that guy is wild 
i mean we all know he played a big role in getting us into iraq and stuff, and yeah, his track record on human rights isn't exactly spotless 
. it's crazy how some people can just gloss over all that though, like liz cheney's eulogy was super sweet but also kinda glossed over the bad stuff 
. anyway, i guess that's just how politics goes sometimes 
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still can't believe they left out the part about torture... like, what's next? forgetting that whole "war on terror" thing? 
the whole funeral was pretty somber, but come on, Liz Cheney's eulogy was all love and rainbows - no mention of the whole human rights debacle that her dad helped create. 
can't help but think it's all a bit staged for her own legacy. 
. don't get me wrong, i feel for his family and all, but can we PLEASE just acknowledge the fact that he played a HUGE role in the iraq war? 
it's not exactly something you can gloss over or leave out of a eulogy... 
. anyway, i guess what i'm saying is that dick cheney's legacy is definitely up for debate 
, but can we have a more nuanced conversation about it without leaving out the tough stuff? 
And let's not forget about the impact on civilians and regional stability... it's just so hard to see how some people can justify those actions 
It's fascinating to see how a somber ceremony like this can bring together people from different walks of life, even if they don't always agree on the finer points of history 
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. It's almost as if she was trying to put the past behind her and focus on the present – but will this approach be enough to heal the wounds of the Iraq War and its aftermath? 
. It's only fitting that a bipartisan crowd showed up to pay their respects, even if some are still trying to distance themselves from his questionable legacy 
. I mean, let's not forget the whole Iraq War thing - it's hard to look past the estimated 940,000 civilian deaths and the fact that his administration was pretty much accused of human rights abuses 
. I get why she wanted to focus on his public service record and all, but can't we have a more nuanced conversation about the dude's actual record? 
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ouch, just had to see this... so weird that trump ain't even showing up at his own dad's funeral lol idk what more they could've done to make him stay 
still can't believe the number of people who died in that war tho 940k+ civilians lost their lives... just makes me wanna scream 
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it's crazy how much controversy surrounding dick cheney's legacy is still there after all these years...people are saying he should've been more transparent about his role in the war and its human rights abuses. but at the same time, you can't deny the dude was a high-ranking official who made some huge decisions that affected millions of people worldwide 
his daughter liz's eulogy was really sweet though, she did bring up some good points about her dad's commitment to public service 
like, can't she see how messed up he was? and what's with all the empty seats for trump? did they really think anyone would want to be seen with him right now? 
this whole thing just reeks of trying to whitewash history 
. all that controversy surrounding iraq and human rights, and they're just glossing it over like it's no big deal. it's crazy how some people can just move on from their past mistakes. anyway, gotta say, liz cheney's eulogy was pretty cringeworthy tbh 
. and what's up with the republican party being all buddy-buddy with him again? seems like they're trying to distance themselves from his questionable policies, but at the same time still want to claim him as one of their own