One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Influential Time in Office

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".

Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Disputed Actions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it now."

But 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 area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.

Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.

In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling substantial sums.

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