The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
