The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view now."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
