Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Powerful Political Career
The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction 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 gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty