Former Vice-President Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Powerful Government Service

The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of that office in American history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.

The Post-9/11 Era

At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Controversial Policies

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.

Bush also had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist'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 lair? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty