Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Political Career

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Although numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.

The Period Following the Attacks

In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.

Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Actions

He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it now."

Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were both weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and torture.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had little experience in business but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty