The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion 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 taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
