Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Influential Political Career

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of that office in US history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".

Bush resented that description and said the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.

A Period Following the Attacks

In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Controversial Decisions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."

Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether weak or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.

It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty