The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both weak or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
