The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in American history. Although countless VPs were confined to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
