The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that office in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and said the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
