One-time VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Powerful Time in Office

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that office in American history. Although countless VPs were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Period Following the Attacks

Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.

Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Controversial Actions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that everyone had to walk over.

Questioning Techniques

However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and torture.

Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his domain? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty