Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Powerful Time in Office
The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that office in US history. While numerous VPs were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent 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 answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were either thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had little experience in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
