One-time VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Impactful Political Career

The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "actual president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.

A Period Following the Attacks

In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.

Cheney stated the attacks changed him, making him become intent on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."

Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were both thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators 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."

External Perception

Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."

Corporate Connections

Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.

It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty