The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view presently."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly leave his lair? That is a effective way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
