The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. While numerous VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his lair? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
