Former VP Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Influential Time in Office

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that office in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.

A Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.

Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Decisions

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."

However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that all visitors had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty