The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. While numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, 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 nobody ever sees leave his hole? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
