The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that office in American history. Although many VPs had to settle for peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
