The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high 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 not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, 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 engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
