A somber ceremony unfolded today at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., marking the final farewell to Dick Cheney, a figure who profoundly shaped a generation of American foreign policy.
Cheney, who passed away on November 4th at the age of 84, succumbed to complications stemming from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, conditions he had battled for years following a 2012 heart transplant.
He served as the 46th Vice President under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, a period defined by the aftermath of 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Notably absent from the funeral were both former President Donald Trump and current Vice President JD Vance, a pointed omission reflecting a deep and public rift.
Cheney and his daughter, Liz, became increasingly vocal critics of Trump, a divergence that culminated in Cheney publicly stating his intention to vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
He argued, with characteristic directness, that Trump represented an unacceptable risk to the foundations of American democracy, a sentiment echoed in a campaign ad he cut for his daughter just last year.
That ad, a stark declaration of opposition, asserted that no individual in American history posed a greater threat to the Republic than Donald Trump, a statement that underscored the intensity of the familial and political divide.
Cheney’s legacy remains deeply controversial, inextricably linked to the justification for the Iraq War and the intelligence assessments regarding weapons of mass destruction.
The decision to invade Iraq, based on those contested claims, unleashed a conflict that claimed the lives of thousands of American soldiers, inflicted untold suffering on the Iraqi people, and drained trillions of dollars from the U.S. treasury.
His approach to foreign policy, often characterized by a willingness to embrace assertive military action, stood in stark contrast to Trump’s self-described “peace president” stance.
The political fallout extended to his daughter, Liz, whose own outspoken criticism of Trump led to a decisive defeat in her reelection bid, a consequence of shifting allegiances within the Republican party.
Despite the controversies and the political battles, today’s service offered a moment of reflection on a life dedicated to public service, however fiercely debated that service may have been.
The nation now pauses, acknowledging the passing of a man who, for better or worse, left an indelible mark on the course of American history.
