The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, making him become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
However 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 delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker'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 remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation increased from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
