Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Powerful Political Career
The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? It's a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
