The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Although numerous VPs were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
