Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Retrospective on His Powerful Political Career

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful occupants of that office in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".

Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.

A Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a group of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.

Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Disputed Actions

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."

But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and torture.

Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."

Public Image

Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, actually."

Commercial Ties

Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.

It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty