Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Impactful Government Service

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated 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 taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Controversial Policies

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance presently."

Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to walk over.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."

Business Interests

Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.

It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty