One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Powerful Time in Office

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Although many VPs were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.

A Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Controversial Actions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."

Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and torture.

Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

External Perception

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, 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 shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."

Business Interests

Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty