Former VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Impactful Time in Office

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant occupants of that position in US history. Although many VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".

Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the Capitol building.

Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor 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 Actions

He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."

Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high 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 role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's visage that everyone had to walk over.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.

Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty