The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Although countless VPs were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I believed it back then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
