Dick Cheney's Tragic Legacy: Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq

By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Dick Cheney is dead, but his legacy lives on.

The "neocons"[2] were Israel's "surrogates," and they acted on its behalf to push the United States into the tragic Iraq War. More than 4,000 Americans died and many more were maimed, and trillions of dollars were wasted, for NOTHING.[3]

Dick Cheney, George W. Bush and others were "willing accomplices" in perpetrating this human disaster. They used multiple ruses (e.g., Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMDs).

Needless to say, it was only tiny steps away for Israel to impose Apartheid on the Palestinians. And to oppress them, and unleash the Israeli "Settlers" to seize their lands, and to engage in Genocide.

And yes, neither American political party is blameless; and the collective culpability continues to this day, which is why the Palestinians suffer so. Many are treated no better than lepers.

On 9/11[4], I was in California and had gotten up early to watch Laura Bush testify on Capitol Hill. I watched as the Twin Towers in New York City fell; a jet slammed into The Pentagon where I had worked, with a law school classmate's wife onboard; and a third jet was brought down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which was reportedly bound for our White House.

My concern is that something similar can happen again, here in the States or to our allies. The swift and humiliating fall of Afghanistan under Comatose Joe Biden's "leadership"[5] has emboldened our enemies. I believe they will strike again, at times and locations of their choosing.[6]

Liz Cheney carried the torch for her father, at least until her political career came to a screeching halt.[7]

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[1] Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass). See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6 and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/ He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at The Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service). Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams. He can be contacted directly at [email protected]

[2] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism ("Neoconservatism")

[3] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War ("Casualties of the Iraq War") and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War ("Financial cost of the Iraq War")

[4] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks ("September 11 Attacks") and https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/09/11/can-9-11-happen-again/ ("Can 9/11 Happen Again?")

[5] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932021) ("War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)")

[6] See https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/16/the-lull-before-the-storm-in-israel/ ("The Lull Before The Storm In Israel")

[7] See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney