Dick Cheney is an enemy of democracy in America and a war criminal. His warm reception on the floor of Congress by Democrats yesterday at the January 6 Capitol riot commemoration was shameful and disgusting.
By Chip Gibbons, Jacobin
Yesterday marked one year since pro-Trump fanatics stormed the US Capitol under the belief that they could halt the counting of electoral votes and install the loser of an election as president. Democrats marked the occasion by remembering the breaching of the Capitol as an attack on democracy (featuring a bizarre musical interlude from the cast of Hamilton); Republicans were less eager to do so. During the official congressional ceremony, only two Republicans chose to attend. One was Liz Cheney, currently a US representative for Wyoming; the other was her father, Dick Cheney (as a former member of Congress, Cheney has lifetime congressional floor privileges). Numerous Democrats reportedly walked over to Cheney to shake his hand.
I find it difficult to put into words how shameful venerating Cheney like this is by anyone, much less the country’s supposed left-wing party — and it’s particularly jarring given that Cheney has dedicated his career to attacking democracy, the very thing the ceremony was supposedly in opposition to.
It’s necessary to remember a bit of history here. Cheney was the most powerful vice president in US history. He is most remembered for his role in promoting the Iraq War, an illegal war of aggression predicated on lies, as well as pushing the nation to the “dark side” after 9/11, which included torture, detention without trial (including of US citizens), warrantless surveillance, and other egregious departures from liberal norms of democracy.
All this was predicated on a shocking legal theory that gave the president sweeping wartime powers that neither Congress nor the courts could check. As they were fighting a global war with no borders, this meant that not even US citizens in the United States were safe from the wartime president’s rampages. This was illustrated by the case of José Padilla, who was arrested at the Chicago airport, declared an enemy combatant by George W. Bush, and held in a military prison for three and half years.
These are not the actions of a “defender of democracy” but of someone who constantly attacked and undermined and disregarded it. And while Cheney’s worst abuses came during the “war on terror,” they were the culminations of decades of his scheming against American democracy. Cheney’s long political career has been devoted to skirting and ignoring democratic norms however he sees fit.
Recent Posts
Right-Wing Courts May Further Dismantle Health Care Benefits
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Right-wing federal appeal judges signal they support repeal of the no-cost preventive care mandate, all but guaranteeing a Supreme…
Biden Re-Election Benefits From Dark Money He Says “Erodes Public Trust”
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Dark money has flooded into outside spending groups pledging support for Biden, including one out of every two dollars to the…
If Supreme Court Restricts Abortion Pills, Birth Control Could Be Next
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Republicans across the country have blocked Democratic efforts to codify the right to use contraception. By Mike Ludwig, Truthout…
Support For Israel’s War On Gaza Plummeting Among Key Biden Voters: Poll
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now “Given these numbers,” said one progressive campaigner, “I don’t know how President Biden can reconcile his…