The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to 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 stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume 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 corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
