Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Impactful Government Service

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.

The Period Following the Attacks

At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Debated Policies

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."

However even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to capture 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 deserve a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty