The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion 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 attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors 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 book 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 background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
