Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Impactful Political Career

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "real president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.

A Period Following the Attacks

At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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 educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Actions

He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance now."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."

Business Interests

Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty