Ex- VP Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Influential Political Career

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".

Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Debated Policies

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."

However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

Public Persona

Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker'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 sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty