Former Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Influential Time in Office

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".

Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.

A Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.

Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Actions

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I believed it back then and I believe it today."

Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.

Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 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 nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty