Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Political Career
The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head 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 participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume 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 shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
