The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas countless VPs were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked 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 intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially 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 was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
