Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Impactful Political Career

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.

The Period Following the Attacks

At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Debated Actions

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."

Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo setting out situations in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.

Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a effective way to operate, actually."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty