Ex- VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Impactful Political Career

The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. While countless VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".

Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.

A Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.

Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Disputed Actions

He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I hold that view today."

However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."

Wider Perspective

Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.

Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.

Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.

Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty