The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of that office in US history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head 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 participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
