Former VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Time in Office

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.

A Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.

Cheney stated the strikes 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 attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Decisions

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."

Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author'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 malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a effective way to function, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty