Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Political Career

The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.

The Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Actions

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."

Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.

Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a effective way to work, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his business interests followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling multiple billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty