Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Powerful Time in Office

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".

Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Controversial Policies

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."

However 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 position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."

Corporate Connections

Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth multiple billions.

It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty