Ex- VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Powerful Government Service
The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? That is a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
