The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked 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 plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
