The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified planes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
