Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Impactful Political Career

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that position in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "real president".

Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.

The Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.

Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Debated Actions

He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."

Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head 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 engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's visage that everyone had to tread upon.

Interrogation Methods

However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were both thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and torture.

Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."

Business Interests

Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty