The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. While many VPs had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
