The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
