Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on the Powerful Government Service

The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".

Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.

The Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.

Cheney said the attacks transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Controversial Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."

Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier 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, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired 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 lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling 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: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at 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 election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty