The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
