The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both thin or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
