The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend 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 Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
