The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless VPs were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I believe it today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [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 ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, 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 operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
