Former Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Government Service
The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of that position in US history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, like 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 insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore 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
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, 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 operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a nice way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
