One-time Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Powerful Time in Office
The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, 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 portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
