One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Powerful Political Career

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of that position in US history. While many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and said the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.

Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Controversial Actions

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."

Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and torture.

Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty