The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
