The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
