The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of that office in US history. While many vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
