The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that office in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House generally inclined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple 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 announced his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
