The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
