Cheney Funeral a Stark Contrast to Current Political Climate, Signals Resilience of Traditional washington
WASHINGTON D.C. - The funeral service for former Vice President Dick cheney, held today, served as a poignant and unusually bipartisan display of Washington establishment, offering a stark contrast to the current, often divisive political landscape under the Trump management. The service, attended by figures across the political spectrum, highlighted a sense of continuity and duty that felt especially resonant given recent attacks on career civil servants and the broader erosion of traditional norms.
Attendees and speakers at the service painted a portrait of a man known for his reserved demeanor and exacting nature. Liz Cheney recalled his precision, noting his insistence on correcting those who said he had “flunked out” of Yale. “No, no, I was asked to leave,” he would say, “Twice.”
Cheney’s quiet stoicism was a defining characteristic,as described by former President George W. Bush, who quipped that those seeking a “kind word and a hug” from his former running mate would “have to settle for the kind word.” However, those close to him revealed a more expansive side, particularly with his family. Granddaughter Grace Perry described him as her “best friend,” recounting how he would drive her to rodeo competitions, playfully noting he was “the only person who ever had the title vice president turned rodeo grandpa.”
The service also touched on Cheney’s long battle with chronic heart troubles, including a heart transplant in 2012. His cardiologist, Jonathan Reiner, admitted reluctance to deliver a eulogy, joking, “No one wants a doctor who’s great at funerals.” Reiner shared a story of a young fellow who, in 2000, didn’t recognize his patient and asked Cheney what he did for a living. cheney’s understated reply: “Government work.”
This seemingly simple exchange underscored a core belief of Cheney’s: public service as a fundamental duty. Pete Williams, a former Pentagon spokesperson, recalled cheney’s insistence on using the term ”federal official” rather of “bureaucrat” in a press release, a preference rooted in his upbringing as the son of a man who worked for the Agriculture department. Williams’s comment, delivered as almost an aside, resonated powerfully in a moment when career civil servants are increasingly “vilified, if not axed.”
While no one suggested a ready-made “government in exile,” the ceremony itself – bipartisan, formal, and patriotic – felt meaningful. The event signaled, however faintly, that despite recent political shifts, a sense of institutional strength and dedication to service still endures within the nation’s capital. The departure of another “old-guarder” was marked not with a call to arms, but with a quiet affirmation that, for now, “somthing powerful still survives.”
