The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unidentified planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
