Ex- VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Influential Time in Office
The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty