The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While countless VPs were limited to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a team because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
