The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both thin or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
