The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in US history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, 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 surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, 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 corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
