Ex- VP Dick Cheney: An Examination on His Powerful Political Career

The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".

Bush disliked that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.

The Period Following the Attacks

Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Debated Actions

He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."

However even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that each person had to tread upon.

Questioning Techniques

Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

Public Persona

Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty