The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although 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 lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, 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 emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
