One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Influential Political Career

The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the Capitol building.

Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view now."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.

Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty