Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Powerful Government Service
The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. While numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
