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. Whereas countless VPs were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, 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 background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
