Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Impactful Government Service

The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".

Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.

A Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Decisions

He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."

However even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

External Perception

Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."

Business Interests

Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements 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 resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty