Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Influential Political Career

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. While many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".

Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.

A Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.

Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Policies

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to work, actually."

Business Interests

Debate over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty