Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: A Look Back on His Impactful Government Service

The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".

Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.

The Post-9/11 Era

Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.

Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Decisions

He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."

But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."

Additional Factors

Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.

Investigation Approaches

But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.

Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."

External Perception

Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a effective way to operate, truthfully."

Business Interests

Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.

In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.

It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty