The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion 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 participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
