Ex- VP Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Powerful Time in Office

The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.

Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.

Disputed Policies

He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."

But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.

Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.

Interrogation Methods

But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.

Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."

Public Image

Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a nice way to work, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.

In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.

It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty