The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired 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 diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
