One-time Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Impactful Government Service

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.

The Aftermath of 9/11

In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.

Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Decisions

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended 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 path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."

Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had assumed the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication 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 leave his lair? That is a effective way to function, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling billions.

It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty