One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Government Service

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".

Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.

A Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.

Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Debated Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."

But even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

External Perception

Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to operate, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling multiple billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty