Ex- Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Powerful Political Career

The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many VPs were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.

The Period Following the Attacks

Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Disputed Policies

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance presently."

Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to walk over.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 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 credit."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to work, in fact."

Business Interests

Dispute over his business interests followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty