Former VP Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Influential Government Service

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".

Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.

A Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.

Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Controversial Actions

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."

However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence 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: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.

It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty