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

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".

Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.

Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Decisions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."

But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and torture.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

External Perception

Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty