The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting 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 armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
