Ex- VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Powerful Government Service
The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
