Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Impactful Political Career
The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
