One-time VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Influential Political Career

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a group of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unidentified planes nearing the government building.

Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Decisions

He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."

But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.

Questioning Techniques

However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, 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 cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."

Business Interests

Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty