Ex- VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Influential Time in Office

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.

The Period Following the Attacks

At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney said the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."

But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty