The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution 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, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
