Buzzyone you keep quoting yourself. Like I said before people on the left always use him as a scape goat. When it comes to policy making under Bush he actually had very little say as VP. From how the Iraq War was handled to Bush's views on social liberties, there were divergences there. Many people seem to assume he was an active VP, but in reality his views conflicted with Bush's and he didn't want to speak out against the administration.
Under his tenure as Secretary of Defense he significantly slashed Military spending, while successfully implementing a combined forces assault in Iraq dealing one of the most one sided victories against a nation with a significant ground force. The reason for the deficits is obvious. The best way to deal with excessive government spending is by slashing the revenue supply forcing the fed to tighten its belt. This way its difficult for the opposing party to fillibuster spending cuts. However, the result is increased deficits.
On social issues, are you kidding? He is more socially liberal then Barack Obama. Supports Gay Marriage, Supports Stem Cells, and believes in equal treatment of everyone(not just minorities).