The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion 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 attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
