Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Influential Political Career

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".

Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.

The Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion 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 attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.

Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Controversial Actions

He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."

But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, truthfully."

Business Interests

Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at multiple billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty