The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
