The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of that position in American history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing 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: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
