One-time VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Powerful Time in Office

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in American history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes nearing the government building.

Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, 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 invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Policies

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."

Yet during that period, there were opposing views 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 reappointed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.

Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing 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 largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."

Public Persona

Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty