Ex- Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Impactful Government Service

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.

Cheney said the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Controversial Policies

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith then and I believe it now."

However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked 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.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were whether weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."

Business Interests

Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty