Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney: First Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm

President Bush's Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney gives the first Pentagon briefing after the ground war started in the first Gulf War in 1991.


The Persian Gulf War

(1990-1991)

The first major conflict involving the United States since Vietnam proved to be a catharsis of sorts for the American military and public. Just as the Spanish-American War of 1898 gave the nation a "short victorious war" following the angst of the Civil War, the Gulf War lifted the U.S. out of a self-conscious, post-Vietnam malaise. However, just as the short war of 1898 quickly led to the bloody Philippine-American War, the Gulf War's dark legacy soon reared it's ugly head; the Gulf War Syndrome plagues veterans and the No-Fly Zone War, kept alive the violence and confrontation as a lead-in to the current Third Persian Gulf War, also known in the U.S. as the Iraq War.

There are nearly as many links dealing with Gulf War Syndrome as there are on the war itself. This is not really a surprise, considering the relative brevity of the war compared to the serious long-term consequences of the disease from which many veterans suffer.



Richard B. Cheney
March 21, 1989- January 20, 1993
17th Secretary of Defense
Bush Administration


President George Bush initially chose former Texas Sen. John G. Tower to be his secretary of defense. When the Senate in March 1989 rejected his nomination, Bush selected Rep. Richard B. (Dick) Cheney of Wyoming. Cheney, born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on 30 January 1941, attended Yale University, Casper College, and the University of Wyoming, where he earned B.A. (1965) and M.A. (1966) degrees. He went on to further graduate study in political science at the University of Wisconsin, and moved to Washington as a congressional fellow for the 1968-69 year.

Cheney entered federal service in 1969 as a special assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1971 he became a White House staff assistant, and soon moved on to become assistant director of the Cost of Living Council, where he stayed until 1973. After a year in private business, he returned to the White House to become deputy assistant to President Gerald Ford (1974-75) and then White House chief of staff (1975-77).

In November 1978 Cheney, a Republican, won election as Wyoming's representative at large in the House of Representatives. Reelected for five additional terms, he served several years on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Intelligence Budget Subcommittee. In December 1988 House Republicans chose him to serve as whip in the incoming 101st Congress. Less than a week after Bush nominated him, the Senate confirmed Cheney as secretary of defense; he entered office on 21 March 1989.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• first
• gulf
• war
• bush
• cheney
• iraq
• pentagon
• troops
• military
• fight
• Saddam
• Hussein
• Kuwait
• invasion
• retreat
• 1991
• 1990
• oil

[XaviersSecretary]

At 1:36, listen carefully as a reporter says: "Damn!" As Richard Cheney says he will not disclose any information on the operation that is under way.

Just a notice. If anyone has already noticed it, well, good for you.

[davleuv]

Cheney is a crook. He makes Nixon look like a saint.

[bushbasher46]

YOUR A FUCKING TERRORIST JAIL THIS PIG

[wilcox24]

"damn!"

[BenBeanin]

Monster

[palmostositive]

"as forth coming as possible, but from nowon - we must be limited as to what we say." laugh out fucking loud! war criminal! war criminal!

[timm55]

Dick Cheney is a great patriot of this country.

[bigbossman999]

@jbranstetter04 The chicken hawk comment is definitely appropriate in THIS case..not in every case. It is appropriate because Cheney actually received deferrments to avoid serving in combat.i.e, he went OUT OF HIS WAY to ensure that he avoided combat at all costs...you think he was a consciencous objector? lol..or simply a COWARD. The irony being that this same chickenhawk who tooth and nail fought serving his country was so ready to send OTHER PEOPLE's KIDS to fight and die.

[ONEeyeGOATwhisperer]

the people that ran the gulf war, Dick Cheney and Colon Powell... somthing about those names... hmm... i think... it sounds stupid but i think that SOMEONE GOT FUCKED IN THE ARSE.

[ASAManifesto]

Because you said Cheney is great. He is a chicken-hawk! A chicken-hawk is a person who never faced combat, but goes willy nilly to fight any "supposed" enemies at any chance much like this man without understanding how tough it really is.

A man who is so eager to "fight the enemies over there" without thinking of his actions. These are the types who bring empires down. He, as well as Bush and that devilish James Baker are all the same.

jbranstetter04, that is what I am implying.

[jbranstetter04]

Then why bring up the chicken-hawk thing at all? You are implying that a President who did not serve in the military should not sent soldiers into combat, there can be no other conclusion.

I take back my retard comment.

[ASAManifesto]

Are you serious? Can you not read?

This started cause you said "Cheney is great." I replied with a couple of quick negatives about him. Geez just cause I didn't go in deep detail doesn't mean I didn't imply that meaning.

Then you call me retarded cause you said I said he cannot be President cause he didn't serve. When the hell did I said that?

Stop trying to get the last word in.

[jbranstetter04]

"so eager to go to war without doing a clear cost-benefit analysis in regards to both Gulf War One and Two"

You said nothing of the kind.

You just said that he was a chicken hawk, and that he was so eager to send troops of to war, and that he was a puppet for the international folks. You are making things up.

How am I supposed to read in between the lines, when there is nothing there.

[ASAManifesto]

Read my words carefully. Where did I say anything about who and who cannot be President?

All I just said it is funny how someone who never served or understands how horrible war is , is so eager to go to war without doing a clear cost-benefit analysis in regards to both Gulf War One and Two.

jbranstetter04, Listen to yourself. Do your own reasoning.

[jbranstetter04]

You are so retarded. So you are saying that no man or woman can be President who did not serve in the military. Listen to yourself. Do your own reasoning.

[ASAManifesto]

Ha, Dick Cheney great?

A chicken hawk who is so eager to send troops off to war, but one must ask, did he ever serve?

He's nothing but a puppet for the international folks.

[Lurker500]

he a good vice president

[cedarpose]

this war was justified unlike the immoral war based on lies that we are in now

[DrVonNostrand]

To the 2 users stroking each others cocks down there:

Why must everything be Liberal vs Conservative?

Why must we be divided?

We've lost our way.

Peace not war.

[SeekerNLife]

Yup.

The left doesn't what to do when someone is fearless in the face of their abuse.

So they simply vilify and demonize them, in order to be dismissive of their positions on important issues....even so far as to the detriment of their own country.

[NoGuff]

"I think Dick Cheney is great"

--So do I. The reasons Liberals hate him more than they hate Satan himself is because he believes in what he's doing and he doesn't bow or capitulate to, or compromise with Liberals and he very articulate when he talks about how wrong they are. Same with John Bolton.

[SeekerNLife]

I remember watching an interview of Dick Cheney, in the days leading up to the Gulf War....when all diplomatic measures were being employed to try to get Saddam to back off from his occupation of Kuwait.

['Meet the Press' I think.]

When asked, if our fighter planes would be targeting Saddam Hussein, Cheney put his fingertips together, and said:

"It will be very dangerous for him."

Heh.

I think Dick Cheney is great.

A great American, whose brilliance will be well remembered in our history.