The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I believed it then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
