One-time VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Powerful Time in Office

The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of that office in US history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".

Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.

A Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.

Debated Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view presently."

But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.

Investigation Approaches

However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."

Public Image

Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."

Business Interests

Controversy over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty