The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. While countless VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary 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 taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a document setting out situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were both weak or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
