If there is one eternal rule in Washington, it is that “politics makes for strange bedfellows.” If you were to presume twenty years ago, that former Vice President Dick Cheney would one day endorse a progressive Democrat from California for president, you would be sent to an insane asylum. The idea that a diehard neoconservative and perhaps the biggest war criminal in recent American history would one day endorse someone like Kamala Harris would have been laughable. But due to the prevalence of “Trump derangement syndrome” amongst many neoconservatives, this has become the political reality.
As someone who generally considers himself a member of the political left and who does not support Donald Trump, “Trump derangement syndrome” is not a term I use flippantly. Nevertheless, I cannot seem to find any other phrase to describe the type of voter who would view an endorsement from Dick Cheney for Kamala Harris as a positive. Former Vice President Cheney’s support of Harris is emblematic of a deeper, unsettling continuity in American foreign policy that transcends partisan boundaries.
Dick Cheney is not the only member of his family who has thrown their support behind Harris. His daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, has also endorsed Kamala Harris after voting for Trump in 2020. In a recent episode of System Update, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out that Liz Cheney – whose entire political career revolved around her defending her father’s depraved imperialism – has become a useful idiot for the establishment wing of the Democratic Party. This shift is par for the course, as proponents of military adventurism have increasingly found a home in a Democratic Party committed to providing endless military aid to both Israel and Ukraine.
This is not surprising as the GOP has moved towards isolationism, ostensibly at least in Ukraine, with Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance, stating that “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.” But both Liz Cheney and her father “care” about Ukraine, as they have an ideological interest in spreading the tentacles of American imperialism across the world. But in the modern Republican Party under Donald Trump, the Cheney family likely believes they have no tenable political future. Dick Cheney is a decrepit reminder of a time long ago, and Liz Cheney lost in the Republican primary for her district by 32 points.
Fortunately for the Cheney family and unfortunately for anyone who has morals, both parties are still vehemently committed to supporting the current genocide in Gaza. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have received money from individual Zionist billionaires in addition to the standard pro-genocide lobbying groups. Miriam Adelson, a fanatic supporter of Israel, has spent 100 million dollars trying to get Trump back into the Oval Office, while Reid Hoffman, who helped finance primary challenges against Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush, has contributed $1.7 million to Harris. On the issue of Israel, both parties are “good” on the issue of Israel in the eyes of Dick and Liz Cheney.
The Cheneys’ endorsement of Harris is more than just a strange political twist – it’s a reminder of the disturbing continuity in American foreign policy. For all the partisan bickering, both parties ultimately share the same commitment to military adventurism and imperialism. The fact that someone like Dick Cheney, one of the most notorious architects of modern American warfare, can find common ground with a so-called progressive Democrat is telling. It reveals how deeply ingrained the war machine is within our political system.
The real tragedy is that this continuity goes largely unquestioned. Voters are offered the illusion of choice, but when it comes to foreign policy, the outcome remains the same – endless wars, ever increasing welfare for the military-industrial complex, and bipartisan support for apartheid Israel’s now genocidal policies.
The Cheney endorsement isn’t just an outlier; it’s a symptom of a much more serious and insidious issue. So long as figures like Dick and Liz Cheney can find a comfortable home in both parties, it’s clear that American imperialism will continue unabated – regardless of who occupies the White House.
J.D. Hester is an American writer born and raised in Arizona. He has previously written for Antiwar.com, Front Porch Republic, and CounterCurrents.org. You can find him on his Substack, Hester Unfiltered. You can send him an email at josephdhester@gmail.com. Follow him on X.
