The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were both thin or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence 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: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
