Ex- VP Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Powerful Time in Office

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".

Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.

The Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.

Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Disputed Actions

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view today."

Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.

Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.

Questioning Techniques

However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty