Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Powerful Political Career
The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of that position in American history. Whereas numerous VPs were limited to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
