Dick Cheney kicked his bucket without enhanced interrogation by Lawson Akhigbe

Friends, Americans, countrymen, lend me your timelines and tweets;

I come to bury Dick, not to praise him.

The evil that he did lives after him;

The good, he shot a trial lawyer will be interred with his bones;

So let it be with Dick.

Dick Cheney, who served as the 46th Vice President of the United States, has died. His political career was marked by actions that had profound and often painful consequences for many, leaving a complex and contentious legacy.

🎯 The Faulty Premise for War

Many Americans and countless Iraqis became unintended victims of the 2003 Iraq War, a conflict built on a foundation that later proved to be false.

· The Push for War: Cheney was a primary architect of the Iraq War, aggressively making the public case for invasion by asserting that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and had operational ties to Al-Qaeda . He claimed, “We know they have biological and chemical weapons” and that there was “no doubt” Saddam was “amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us” .

· The Intelligence Reality: These public claims were made despite Cheney’s awareness of significant doubts and contradictions within the intelligence community . Official reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the State Department, and the 9/11 Commission found “no reliable information” on Iraqi WMD stockpiles and “no credible evidence” of a partnership between Saddam and Al-Qaeda . The subsequent invasion, which found no such WMDs, led to a long, costly war that resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and regional destabilization .

⚖️ Sanctioning “Enhanced Interrogation”

Detainees in the “Global War on Terror” were subjected to what many consider torture, a policy Cheney openly championed.

· He was a key proponent of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques,” including waterboarding, which he defended as a necessary tool . He stated in a 2014 interview that he would “do it again in a minute” . Critics and human rights organizations have condemned these methods as torture, arguing they damaged America’s moral standing and constituted a breach of international law .

📞 Domestic Surveillance and Executive Power

Cheney’s vision of a powerful, largely unchecked executive branch led to policies that impacted American citizens’ civil liberties.

· Following the 9/11 attacks, Cheney was a driving force behind the National Security Agency’s (NSA) warrantless surveillance program . This operation monitored the phone calls and emails of U.S. citizens without judicial warrants, a program the Justice Department later determined was illegal . Cheney argued for the continuation of this spying even after its legality was formally challenged .

🏛️ A Final, Unexpected Stand

Despite his controversial record, Cheney’s final years included a notable act that some viewed as a redeeming, or at least complicating, part of his story.

· In a dramatic break with most of his party, Cheney became a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, whom he labeled a “coward” and “the greatest-ever threat to our republic” for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election . In a symbolic capstone to his career, Cheney endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, framing it as a necessary stand to defend the Constitution .

🔍 A Complex Political Legacy

Dick Cheney’s legacy is a deeply polarized one, defined by a steadfast commitment to his vision of American security and power, regardless of the political cost.

· To his supporters, he was a resolute defender of the nation who took difficult, necessary actions to prevent another terrorist attack . He expressed no regrets, firmly believing he had done what was right to protect the country .
· To his critics, he embodied the dangers of unchecked executive power, a leader whose policies on war, torture, and surveillance caused immense harm and strayed from American values . His approval rating fell to 13% by the end of his term, reflecting widespread public disapproval .

To avoid figures like Cheney in the future, a vigilant and informed citizenry is essential. This means:

· Demanding Transparency: Scrutinizing the intelligence and evidence used to justify major policy decisions like war.
· Upholding Checks and Balances: Resisting the expansion of executive power and insisting on robust congressional and judicial oversight.
· Valuing Moral Consistency: Evaluating leaders not only by their policy outcomes but also by their commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law, even in times of crisis.

What are your thoughts on how a nation should balance security and liberty in a democracy? Feel free to share your perspectives in the comments below.