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"The Dark Side": Dick Cheney's Legacy from Iraq Invasion to U.S. Torture Program

2025-11-04 News & Politics
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Democracy Now!
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Dick Cheney, Architect of Iraq War and Power Consolidation, Dies at 84

Understand the profound, often destructive, impact Dick Cheney wielded over US foreign policy and presidential power expansion, from the Gulf Wars to the War on Terror.

Short Summary

  • Cheney architected the 2003 Iraq invasion based on claims later proven false or unsubstantiated.
  • He aggressively defended and authorized harsh interrogation tactics, including waterboarding, against detainees.
  • He concentrated executive power, setting precedents for leveraging the vice presidency that later inspired his critique of Donald Trump. This document reviews Cheney’s legacy through expert analysis, highlighting his role in shaping the modern Republican party and subsequent global conflicts.

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Description

Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt Dick Cheney, the former vice president and one of the key architects of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, died Monday at age 84. Cheney served six terms in Congress as Wyoming's lone representative before serving as defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush, when he oversaw the first Gulf War and the bloody U.S. invasion of Panama that deposed former U.S. ally Manuel Noriega. From 1995 to 2000, Cheney served as chair and CEO of the oil services company Halliburton, before George W. Bush tapped him as his running mate. As vice president, Cheney was a leading proponent of invading and occupying Iraq, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and destabilized the entire region. Dick Cheney also steadfastly defended warantless mass surveillance programs and the use of torture against detainees of the so-called war on terror. We speak with _The Nation_'s John Nichols, author of multiple books about Cheney, who says the neoconservative leader had a "very destructive" impact on the world. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Top Comments (10)

@iluvpink87 2025-11-04

Thank you for not whitewashing Cheney's "legacy" of lies, war profiteering, and war crimes. We must never forget all of the terrible things the Bush II administration did.

306 6 replies
@LifeIsShort1970 2025-11-04

Now he’s in hell with Henry Kissinger!!!!!!

250 24 replies
@ninadarwich71 2025-11-04

He had no regrets. One less genocidal war criminal

241 9 replies
@khroify 2025-11-04

Cheney was a liar. And part of setting the stage of what we're going through now.

176 7 replies
@adinahaun6001 2025-11-04

Lowest ring of hell for this unrepentant war criminal.

168 8 replies
@MrKuire 2025-11-04

The world's a better place.

143 7 replies
@TheManWithNoName1 2025-11-04

Never knew he voted against releasing Mandela, sheesh.

119 4 replies
@dennismiller5725 2025-11-04

Dick was “running” the country while George was reading a book to a kindergarten in Fl on 9/11.

77 4 replies
@mouhamadeldarwich 2025-11-04

His speeches are indistinguishable from what Netanyahu is saying today

58
@ThoriqRiq-e7x 2025-11-04

Most notorious man during Iraq invasion by US,British and NATo."Rest in Not Peace in Hell'

45

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