Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Influential Time in Office

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of that position in US history. While countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".

Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.

A Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the government building.

Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Debated Decisions

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it today."

However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.

Interrogation Methods

Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either weak or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling multiple billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty