The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
