One-time Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Impactful Time in Office

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.

The Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Policies

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."

But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.

Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

Public Persona

Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty