One-time VP Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Influential Political Career

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. While many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.

A Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.

Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Decisions

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."

But even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting 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 military action against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that everyone had to step on.

Questioning Techniques

However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Image

Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a effective way to function, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty