The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 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 monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
