Former Second-in-Command Dick Cheney: An Examination on the Influential Time in Office

The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that office in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".

Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.

The Period Following the Attacks

At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.

Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.

Debated Policies

He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance now."

Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."

Broader Context

Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.

Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.

Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's face that all visitors had to tread upon.

Questioning Techniques

But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.

Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."

Public Persona

Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."

Commercial Ties

Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.

In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling billions.

It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty