The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion 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 attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
