Décès de l'ancien vice-président américain Dick Cheney à 84 ans
A man of the shadows, renowned for his considerable influence behind the scenes, former US Vice President Dick Cheney died at the age of 84, his family announced to US media on Tuesday.
His death, which occurred on Monday, was due to complications related to pneumonia as well as heart and vascular diseases, according to a statement from his family.
Afflicted by coronary problems for most of his adult life, Mr. Cheney suffered five heart attacks between 1978 and 2010 and had been wearing a device to regulate his heart rhythm since 2001.
The former number two under George W. Bush (2001-2009) had forged such a reputation that he was considered one of the most powerful vice presidents in American history.
He surprised Americans during the 2024 presidential election by announcing that he would vote for Democrat Kamala Harris, denouncing his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, whom he considered unfit to occupy the Oval Office.
"We have a duty to put the country above partisan divisions to defend our Constitution," he said.
Dick Cheney was George W. Bush's running mate in two victorious presidential campaigns and his most influential advisor in the White House during a time marked by terrorism, war, and economic changes.
He will be remembered as one of the hawks who played a central and controversial role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Having entered the White House under Republican President Gerald Ford, Dick Cheney later replaced Donald Rumsfeld as chief of staff and then unsuccessfully led Gerald Ford's re-election campaign against Jimmy Carter in 1976.
A staunch Republican, Mr. Cheney soon entered the electoral race to win in 1978, in Wyoming, a seat in the House of Representatives in Washington which he occupied for a decade.
Appointed Secretary of Defense under George HW Bush in 1989, Dick Cheney was in charge of the Pentagon during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. He then left for the private sector when Democrat Bill Clinton ousted Bush Sr. from the White House.
Appointed CEO of Halliburton in 1995, he led the large oil services group for five years before returning to politics as George W. Bush's running mate for the 2000 presidential election.
- Afghanistan and Iraq -
Having become vice president, the culmination of his long political rise, Dick Cheney instilled his neo-conservative ideology in the White House and played a greater role in this position than most of his predecessors.
He is notably considered one of the driving forces behind the decision to invade Afghanistan less than a month after 9/11.
17 months later the United States invaded Iraq.
Iraq had no active programs for the production of weapons of mass destruction, and post-war analyses found no operational link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda.
Saddam Hussein was captured, tried and executed, but the war in Iraq continued until 2011, and US troops remained in the country for another decade, seeking to stabilize the country and push back extremists from the Islamic State organization.
Nearly 5,000 Americans were killed in this war.
The conflict in Afghanistan continued until 2021, when President Joe Biden withdrew the last US troops, ending a war in which more than 2,300 members of the US armed forces died and allowing the Taliban to regain control of the country.
Dick Cheney later asserted that he refused to believe that Saddam Hussein was not developing a program for weapons of mass destruction.
He was also one of the greatest defenders of American enhanced interrogation techniques, now widely regarded as torture.
The world's second largest oilfield services company, Halliburton, became considerably richer as a result of the second Iraq War.
Commentaires (8)
Dans la jungle terrible jungle un chien est moooort ce soir
Le vrai juge tattend
Il a été, avec d’autres, à l’origine de la morts de milliers et de milliers d’innocents. Rest in hell the monster
Tu devras répondre de l exécution des millions d irakien et afghans
Il avait vote contre la liberation de Nelson Mandela.
Ainsi va la vie no matter how long its takes now by himself in his grave he ll answer to Allah swr without lawyer. A big warning for the arrogant Trump from God the real Judge.
ces puissants hommes qui étaient dick cheney donald romsfels paule wolfovitch condolissa rice collins pawoll... la vie est très effémaire nous venons de DIEU et NOUS retournerons vers DIEU il faut faut toujours penser a ca
Invaison de l'Irak, de l'afghanistan, des milliers de morts et de blessés, un moyen orient déstabilisé... C'est tout ce que je retiens de lui. Il va devoir s'expliquer au Juge Suprême !
J,ai la bouche bee apres vos temoignages
Kou thi Yalla diokha ti dole', khamal ni dafa beugue nga dimbale' thi neew dji dole' dji
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