Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Influential Political Career

The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. While countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".

Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.

The Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command 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. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney said the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Policies

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it today."

Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."

Business Interests

Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty