November 4, 2025
Quail, quips & quarrels
Former US Vice-President Cheney Dies
Internet erupts: war-maker, power broker, and a GOP exile
TLDR: Cheney, 84, died from pneumonia and heart disease; commenters blasted his Iraq war legacy while noting his late break with Trump. Stats on civilian deaths, RINO drama, Halliburton profit claims, and quail-hunt memes dominated, underscoring a legacy that still splits the country.
Dick Cheney, 84, has died from pneumonia and heart disease, and the internet is not whispering. Commenters are lighting up the thread with fierce takes on his legacy—from Iraq to “enhanced” interrogation (the community’s word: torture)—and whether he was the ultimate power behind the throne Reuters. One of the loudest themes: the human cost. Users cite civilian death estimates “between 146,000 and >700,000,” calling the wars a permanent stain. Others relitigate the “weapons of mass destruction” that never turned up, with snarky reminders of those “liberators” predictions that aged poorly.
Then there’s the soap opera: Cheney’s late-life move against Donald Trump and vow to vote for Kamala Harris cracked open a fresh rift. Some call him and daughter Liz RINOs (“Republican In Name Only”), while others clap back that his stance on his gay daughter explains why Trump loyalists branded the family traitors. It’s intraparty drama with receipts.
The Halliburton thread goes full corporate conspiracy, with accusations of war profiteering adding fuel. And yes, the memes arrived: quail-hunt jokes and “duck!” one-liners referencing Cheney’s 2006 accident where a friend got peppered by birdshot. Love him or loathe him, the comments crown Cheney as a figure whose shadow still stretches across American politics.
Key Points
- •Dick Cheney died at age 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said.
- •As U.S. vice president (2001–2009), he sought to expand presidential power and built an influential national security team.
- •He strongly advocated the 2003 Iraq invasion over alleged WMDs, which were never found, and defended enhanced interrogation techniques.
- •Cheney clashed with officials including Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice; oversight bodies labeled some interrogation methods as torture.
- •He faced lifelong heart issues, had a heart transplant in 2012, and received a $35 million retirement package from Halliburton upon re-entering politics.