The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either weak or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
