Former VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on the Influential Government Service

The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. While numerous VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".

Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.

The Aftermath of 9/11

Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.

Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Actions

He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance presently."

However during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."

Broader Context

Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.

Bush additionally had entered the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed 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 plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's face that all visitors had to tread upon.

Investigation Approaches

Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.

Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

External Perception

Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."

Corporate Connections

Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.

It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty