Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Influential Political Career

The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While many vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Controversial Decisions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."

Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to step on.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, actually."

Business Interests

Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling multiple billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty