Dick Cheney Dies, His Ultra-Reactionary Policies Continue

Former Vice President Dick Cheney died November 3, 2025, relieving the world of his miserable existence. Among the most brazen of war criminal career politicians in US history, Cheney served as the White House chief of staff for President Ford in the 70s, spent a decade in the House of Representatives in the 80s with a brief stint as the House Minority Whip, took the post of Secretary of Defense for George H. W. Bush in the 90s, and, most notoriously, served as Vice President under President George W. Bush in the 2000s. A true servant of the imperialist ruling class, Cheney died a multimillionaire and one of the most hated people in the world, while his anti-people policies and legacy continue to prop up the US ruling class.

During his time in the House of Representatives, Cheney voted against the creation of the now-gutted US Department of Education, the establishment of the Head Start program that provides food and education for poor children, the establishment of a holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., sanctions against apartheid South Africa, calling for the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa, the establishment of the Equal Rights Amendment to give formal legal equality to women, abortion rights, and laws regulating pollution and environmental sanitation.

While eager to start wars and send people to their deaths, Cheney himself avoided such a fate for himself, having applied for and receiving 5 draft deferments during the Vietnam War.

As Secretary of Defense, Cheney oversaw the ironically-named “Operation Just Cause”, where US forces invaded Panama to reassert its dominance over the semi-colony; “Operation Desert Storm”, which saw the US invade the Middle East to assert its domination over Kuwaiti oil; and the invasion of Somalia, also to assert US domination of oil. Such operations oversaw the killing of tens of thousands of people while the US imperialists raked in billions of dollars in profits—most notably the oil monopoly Halliburton that Cheney would come to lead.

After Bill Clinton took office in 1993, Cheney participated in several imperialist think tanks and took a position as the CEO of Halliburton, the world’s second-largest oil service company. While still secretary of defense, Cheney had funneled millions of dollars to Halliburton through the Pentagon and gave the monopoly a critical role in Kuwait’s oil wells after the US military reestablished domination.

Under Cheney’s leadership, Halliburton merged with monopoly conglomerate Dresser Industries, which had been under the leadership of George H. W. Bush’s father.

When Cheney became Vice President of the US, Halliburton and its subsidiaries continued to receive lucrative government contracts worth billions of dollars, including the construction of steel holding cells in the US torture site Guantanamo Bay, handling oil wells in Iraq following the US’s invasion under Cheney’s direction, and internment camps for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

As vice president under George W. Bush, Cheney was an early advocate for war against Iraq, pushing the false claims that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and ties with Al-Qaeda to justify the invasion.

Cheney was a leading figure in expanding the use of the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor the public and openly advocating for the use of torture against political prisoners and prisoners of war. He played an active role in centralizing power around the executive branch and challenging congressional laws that sought to limit and control it.

He ended his vice presidency with a 13% approval rating, having faithfully served the interests of the US monopolists.

Cheney continued to play an important role in politics behind the scenes, advising and fundraising for candidates. While he endorsed Trump for his first term, Cheney increasingly sided with Democrats, particularly on their hawkish foreign policy toward Russia and strong support for NATO. This culminated in his endorsement of Kamala Harris for President in 2024, showing how the reactionization of US politics has brought the Democrats of today on par with the old-guard Republicans.

Cheney’s life epitomizes imperialist politicians, bouncing between corporate and political jobs all while pushing for the reactionization of the state to the extreme. The centralization of power around the executive branch is a necessity for the ruling class, politically reflecting the deepening monopolization of the economy. The policies and approach left behind by the ultra-reactionary Cheney have continued in force regardless of which party mafia dominates the state bureaucracy.

Photo: Dick Cheney. Credit: Gage Skidmore.

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