The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
