The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were both thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
