One-time VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Influential Government Service
The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful occupants of that office in American history. While countless vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence 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 attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty