One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Impactful Government Service
The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
