Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Impactful Political Career

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.

A Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Policies

He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty