The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for 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 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
