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

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that office in US history. Although countless VPs had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".

Bush disliked that description and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.

The Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for 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 taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Actions

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."

However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to function, in fact."

Corporate Connections

Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements worth multiple billions.

It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty