Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Influential Political Career

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in US history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.

A Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.

Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Debated Policies

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I believe it today."

Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.

Bush additionally had assumed the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to function, actually."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty