The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
